At the first hearing for the trial, where representatives from both the plaintiff and the defendant were in attendance, Justice Cheong Hyung-sik said, "Determining the president's impeachment is more urgent than any other case" and scheduled the next hearing for Jan. 3.
Judge Lee Mi-son further explained that the date was chosen with deliberate consideration of the gravity of the case.
As anticipated, Yoon did not appear at the hearing, as he was not required to be present.
The court has up to 180 days to deliberate and decide whether to impeach him as decided by the parliament or to reinstate him.
Should the impeachment be upheld, Yoon would be removed from office, leading to a snap presidential election within 60 days.
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