SEOUL, December 16. /TASS/. South Korea's Constitutional Court has held the first preliminary hearing on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 27, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The court held its first meeting on organizational issues on Monday. The Constitutional Court said it would prioritize the Yoon Suk Yeol case over other impeachment cases. Earlier, South Korean Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon and several other high-ranking officials were impeached. The president is not required to attend the December 27 hearing, which is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. local time (5:00 a.m. GMT).

On December 14, the parliament impeached Yoon Suk Yeol, but the final decision on the impeachment has to be made by the Constitutional Court. It has 180 days to issue its verdict.

At present, only six out of nine judges sit on the court, with three vacancies. According to the law on the Constitutional Court, six judges must support the parliament to impeach the president. However, it also states that the quorum is seven judges.

The acting chairman of the Constitutional Court said in December that six judges would be enough to start hearings, but further discussions would be needed to decide whether they would be enough to make a decision on the president's impeachment.