SOUTH KOREA: Final Arguments In Yoon's Impeachment Trial Set For 25 Feb

South Korea's Constitutional Court has confirmed that the next hearing in President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial, scheduled for Tuesday 25 Feb, will hear the final arguments from each side before the court begins deliberations on whether Yoon should be formally impeached. The court has until June to deliver its verdict on whether to remove Yoon in line with the vote of the National Assembly, which followed the president's abortive imposition of martial law in December 2024, or restore him to office. 

• Earlier on 20 Feb, Yoon became the first sitting president to stand trial in a criminal case. Yoon stands accused of fomenting insurrection, a charge which if convicted of could see Yoon given a lengthy prison sentence (or even the death penalty, although this is seen as very unlikely). The criminal case is separate from the impeachment trial in the constitutional court.
• The ongoing trial has highlighted deep divisions in the South Korean electorate. Support for the conservative People Power Party (PPP), from which Yoon hails, has spiked in the aftermath of his arrest. If Yoon is eventually impeached the constitution requires a snap presidential election in 60 days.
• Hypothetical polling shows DPK leader Lee Jae-myung, who Yoon narrowly defeated in the 2022 election, as the clear frontrunner. However, the rising support for the PPP and the inevitable political furore that would surround Yoon's impeachment could see an as-yet-unnamed PPP candidate make a charge for the presidency. 

Chart 1. Legislative Election Opinion Polling, % and 6-Poll Moving Average