The Constitutional Court will announce its ruling on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol at 11 a.m. on the 4th. When applications were received from the general public for today’s hearing, 96,370 people applied for 20 seats. The competition ratio is 4,818 to 1, making it the highest competition ratio in the history of presidential impeachment trials.
The Constitutional Court began accepting applications from the general public to attend the ruling on President Yoon's impeachment trial starting at 4 p.m. on the 1st through its website. Tens of thousands flocked to the website to secure one of the 20 seats designated for the general public. By 3 p.m. on the 2nd, 71,000 people had submitted applications, resulting in a preliminary competition ratio of 3,550 to 1.
In contrast, during the ruling day for former President Roh Moo-hyun's impeachment trial in 2004, 1,200 people applied for 60 seats for the general public, resulting in a competition ratio of 20 to 1. On the ruling day for former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial in 2017, 19,096 people applied for 24 seats for the general public, with a competition ratio of 796 to 1.
President Yoon attended the impeachment trial hearings in person, unlike former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye. This possibility of President Yoon’s attendance on the day of the ruling contributed to the extremely high competition ratio. However, on that day, President Yoon's legal representatives stated, "The president will not attend the ruling day of the impeachment trial."