South Korean President Yoon's impeachment trial decision postponed - Why the 14th of this month was initially considered the likely date

It was widely believed that the South Korean Constitutional Court would hand down its verdict on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol on the 14th of this month, but the ruling has been postponed.
It is believed that the sentence will likely be announced as soon as this week. But why was a sentence on the 14th considered likely in the first place?
Yoon declared "emergency martial law" in the country in December last year.
A type of martial law defined by the Constitution. It is issued by the President in times of war, emergency, or other military emergency, or to maintain public order. The military takes control of administrative and judicial functions, and the government is in charge of the administration of justice.
It is also permitted to restrict freedom of speech, publication, and association. This was the first time that martial law had been declared since the democratization of Korea in 1987. Although the emergency martial law was lifted early, it caused chaos in Korean society.
The political situation remains unstable to this day. Opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, have pointed out that Yoon has violated the constitution, arguing that he has "attempted to disrupt the constitutional order and commit an insurrection aimed at permanently seizing power."
The National Assembly submitted a motion to impeach Yoon. A vote was held in December last year, and the motion passed with 204 votes in favor and 85 against. Yoon was subsequently suspended from his duties, and is currently serving as the head of the National Assembly, headed by Choi Sang-mok.
Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Che is acting as president. Following the passage of the bill, the Constitutional Court will decide within six months whether to impeach Yoon or reinstate him.
Presidential elections will be held within 60 days. Arguments have been held in the Constitutional Court since January. The issue at issue in the impeachment trial was the legitimacy of the martial law, with the National Assembly's prosecution team arguing that the declaration of "emergency martial law" violated the Constitution.
The constitution was violated because the bill was issued without meeting the requirement of "time of war, emergency, or equivalent national emergency" as stipulated in Article 77, and because the military was mobilized to the Diet during martial law and attempts were made to arrest politicians.
Yoon, on the other hand, attended the hearing himself and argued that the declaration of "emergency martial law" was an act of governance, and that it was justified. Yoon also appeared in court on the 25th of last month to make his final arguments at the Constitutional Court.
So far, former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye have both been impeached, but this was the first time that a president himself appeared in court to make a final statement.
Regarding the purpose of issuing the "martial law," he said, "It was to inform people of the critical situation that was threatening the downfall of the nation and to appeal for the sovereign, who has the power to create the constitution, to step in." He added, "I believe that we have achieved a significant portion of that purpose."
Yoon also expressed his desire to return to his post, emphasizing that if he returns, he will "focus on promoting political reform for future generations in the second half of his term."
He indicated that he would focus on foreign policy and hand over most of the power regarding domestic issues to the Prime Minister. He also stated to the public, "Martial law was for the sake of the nation and its people, but in the process, we have caused confusion and inconvenience to the people.
Meanwhile, an opposition lawmaker who appeared in court on behalf of the National Assembly that filed the impeachment suit and made the final statement said, "President Yoon has destroyed the Constitution and trampled on the National Assembly.
"He must be impeached for the sake of democracy and the development of the nation," he argued. With the impeachment trial against Yoon concluded, the question of whether or not to impeach him will be left to the discretion of the Constitutional Court.
Regarding the date of the Constitutional Court's ruling, many Korean media outlets have reported that it is likely to take place on the 14th of this month. The Constitutional Court notifies the ruling date in advance, but by that day, there was no notice.
The verdict was postponed until after this week. The verdict on the 14th was considered the most likely because both former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye, who were impeached in the past, both had only about 10 minutes left until the final argument in their impeachment trials.
The verdict was due to be announced on Friday, two weeks from now. Yoon's impeachment trial concluded on the 25th of last month. The 14th was a Friday, about two weeks after the conclusion of the trial. As the verdict has been postponed until after this week, it is the first time that any past president has been impeached.
This is the longest period until a sentence is announced in an impeachment trial. The news agency Yonhap News Agency predicts that the sentence will likely be announced sometime in the middle to latter part of this week. Normally, the date of the sentence is announced two to three days before the sentence is announced.
The report said that the Constitutional Court had notified the judge of the date of the announcement earlier this week, and that "it is expected that the court will hand down its decision on whether to impeach him or not around the 19th to 21st."