As the Constitutional Court has set Monday for the final hearing for the historic impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye, the embattled president seems to have only a few options left to save herself.

Amid the overwhelming expectation the verdict will be made before acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi’s term ends on March 13, her choices come down to attending the final hearing to appeal to the public or voluntarily resigning from her post to avoid impeachment.
 

President Park has so far done everything possible to sway the ruling to her favor, seeking to delay court proceedings and even seemingly attacking the court for being “biased” against her.

The court asked President Park to decide by Sunday whether she would make a closing statement at the final hearing scheduled for 2 p.m. on Monday, with Park’s lawyers reportedly having persuaded her to turn up and plead her innocence.

President Park, who has been absent from the trial since it formally began on Jan. 3, is said to be seriously considering attending the final session in a last-ditch effort to defend herself. But she is allegedly worried about facing the embarrassment of being questioned by the parliament.

Another option for her is to resign voluntarily before a verdict is reached in early March to avoid further disgrace and retain entitlements, including her pension as a former president, amid growing speculations the ruling is leaning towards upholding her impeachment.

Earlier this week, Rep. Chung Woo-taik, the floor leader of the ruling Liberty Korea Party, said in a radio interview the presidential office has reviewed the option of having the president resign voluntarily.

Rep. Lee Choon-suak, a member of the parliamentary impeachment committee, said that the scenario for Park’s lawyers appears to be for her to resign one or two days ahead of the ruling to avoid an ouster through the legal process.

The presidential office dismissed the rumors as “baseless.”

The last option for Park seems to be questioning the fairness of the court proceedings and the bench, which critics say hints at her possible disobedience of the ruling against her.

Park’s lawyers during Wednesday’s hearing called the court “biased” and slammed it for siding with the parliament. They went as far as calling Justice Kang Il-won another “head lawyer for the parliament,” and even asked the court to exclude him from the trial.

Asked whether Park would accept the outcome of the impeachment trial, one of Park’s lawyers, Lee Joong-hwan, told reporters, “As the result is not out yet, we are not in a position to answer.”

Whatever option Park chooses is no longer likely to affect the court proceedings.

It usually takes about two weeks for the bench to hold a discussion, cast a vote and write up a ruling beyond the final hearing, boosting speculation the verdict will likely be made on March 9, 10 or even 13.

Upon the ruling, the nation will get into full swing for the presidential election, which is to be held within 60 days, under the law.

President Park was impeached by the parliament on Dec. 9 over allegations she let her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil meddle in state affairs and colluded with her to extort donations from local conglomerates.

The court, which now has eight justices following the departure of ex-Chief Justice Park Han-chul on Jan. 31, has picked up pace with the proceedings, as it will soon face an additional vacancy. The ruling to impeach Park needs approval from at least six of the current eight justices.

President Park has been seen as trying to prolong the court proceedings, which critics have called an attempt to raise the chances of her removal from office. With the departure of the acting chief justice, Park would needs only two justices to side with her to regain her legitimacy as president.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)