As the Constitutional Court announced that it will deliver a ruling on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment on April 4, interest in the timing of an early presidential election is also growing. If Yoon is impeached, June 3 is the likely date for the 21st presidential election. On the other hand, if the Constitutional Court rejects or dismisses the case, Yoon will immediately return to office after the sentencing.

President Yoon Suk-yeol’s official residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul where he is staying, is shrouded in silence on April 1, when the Constitutional Court designates the date of sentencing for his impeachment case. Reporter Moon Jae-won

If the court upholds the impeachment motion, Yoon will be removed from the office and the political community will immediately enter the presidential election phase. If the early presidential election is confirmed, it is widely expected to be held on June 3, 60 days after the impeachment.

According to Article 35(1) of the Public Official Election Act, an election due to the presidential vacancy must be held within “60 days.” The president or his or acting president must announce the date of the election no later than 50 days before it.

Unlike other elections, there is no stipulation on the day for an election that is held due to the presidential vacancy. The current law stipulates that by-elections or re-elections for members of the National Assembly and local councils should be held on the first Wednesday in April.

Even at the time of former President Park Geun Hye's impeachment, the early presidential election date was decided 60 days after the dismissal. The Constitutional Court unanimously upheld Park's impeachment on March 10, 2017, and the 19th presidential election was held on May 9 (Tuesday) of the same year.

If the presidential election date is confirmed as June 3, the presidential candidate registration period will be from May 10 to 11, according to the Public Official Election Act. The official campaign period for presidential candidates is 22 days, from May 12 to June 2. The voting period for overseas Koreans is from May 20 to 25, and the early voting period is from May 29 to 30.

Some in the political circles are worried that Han Duck-soo, the acting president and prime minister, who is in charge of managing the early presidential election, may delay the designation of the election day. If Han does not announce the election date, the presidential election process will not be able to proceed and the country could be plunged into chaos.

If the Constitutional Court rejects or dismisses the impeachment case against President Yoon, he will resume his duties immediately after the sentencing. He is expected to receive reports on state affairs from the staff at the presidential office. Former President Roh Moo Hyun returned to work immediately after the impeachment motion was rejected by the Constitutional Court on May 14, 2004.

If Yoon returns to his duties, he can begin discussing constitutional reforms, including a shorter presidential term, as he vowed to do.

In his final statement at the Constitutional Court on February 25, Yoon said, “From the beginning of my presidency, I have had a plan to push for political reforms on the constitution and the electoral system after the middle of my term,” adding, “I will not care much about how much my term is left.” He also said, “Given the rapidly changing international situation and the complex global crisis, I will focus on foreign relations and will hand over much of authority to the prime minister in domestic affairs.”

On the other hand, there are concerns that Yoon will declare martial law again. “We would be happy if the president were to launch the constitution amendment, but there are few people even within the ruling party who believe it,” said an official from the ruling People Power Party.