The Constitutional Court reviewing the legality of President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment Monday urged President Park to decide by Wednesday whether she will appear at court for closing arguments.

It also rejected the request by Park’s lawyers for more hearings to review evidence and cancelled the questioning of absent witnesses in a display of strong determination to conclude the historic trial before mid-March.

“Please confirm whether she will appear or not before the next hearing. We have things to prepare in terms of courtesy and so on as it is the president who attends the hearing, not an ordinary citizen,” said acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi during the 15th hearing of the trial.

The court will then decide whether to reschedule the final hearing as requested by Park’s lawyers, Lee added.

The top court has earlier set Friday to hear closing arguments, boosting speculation that the president’s fate would be decided in early March. But Park’s lawyers Sunday asked the court to push back the schedule to March 2 or March 3, citing the gravity of the case.

President Park, who has so far been absent from the trial, ever since it formally began on Jan. 3, is said to be considering attending the final session in a last-ditch effort to defend herself and avert an ouster from office.

If she decides to attend, she will likely face the embarrassment of being questioned by her foes at the parliament, who said they will quiz her for at least an hour.

“We think answering actively to questions is a way to make clear her stance. It will be helpful for her,” acting Chief Justice Lee said, dismissing the claim by Park’s lawyers that the president has a right to make a closing argument without facing any question.

The court also cancelled the planned questioning of Choi Soon-sil’s estranged business associate Ko Young-tae, who has repeatedly ignored summons by the court, Vice Minister of Finance Choi Sang-mok, who is on an overseas trip, and ex-presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon, who again refused to appear, citing his frail health. It said they are not key witnesses in the case.

It accepted a set of transcripts of audio files as evidence, but refused the request by Park’s lawyers to hold a hearing to play them in the courtroom. The files are part of some 2,300 audio files, submitted by the prosecution, containing recorded phone conversations of Ko Young-tae.

“We are aware of what you are trying to prove through the audio files. We already have listened to the audio files that work in favor of President Park,” said Justice Kang Il-won.

Park’s lawyers view them as key evidence that could prove the president’s innocence. They argue that Park was framed in a scheme set up by Ko and others after they failed to achieve personal gains through the K-Sports Foundation allegedly controlled by Choi Soon-sil, Park's longtime friend.

But the parliament sees these audio files as evidence of President Park’s involvement in illicit fundraising for the K-Sports Foundation and her reliance on her friend Choi Soon-sil in drafting presidential speeches, a key reason behind Park’s impeachment. 

President Park’s lawyers strongly protested the decision.

“We considerably have doubt about the fairness of the trial,” Park’s lawyer Lee Jong-hwan said in a press briefing after the hearing.

President Park was impeached by the parliament on Dec. 9 over allegations that 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 have an additional vacancy, with acting Chief Justice Lee’s term ending on March 13.

The ruling to impeach Park needs approval from at least six of the current eight justices.

President Park has appeared to try to delay court proceedings as much as possible, which critics see as an attempt to raise the chances of her avoiding being forced out of office. With the departure of Lee, she needs only two justices against the impeachment to maintain her status.

There is keen attention on the date for the final hearing as it could give a hint as to when the ruling will be made. It usually takes about two weeks for the bench to hold a discussion, cast a vote, reach a verdict and write up a ruling upon the final hearing. 

If the court decides to remove Park, the nation will get into full swing for the presidential election which will be held within 60 days under the law.

During the 15th hearing, Bang Ki-seon, a working-level official at the presidential office who help to set up the Mir and K-Sports foundations, testified that he considered the fundraising from local firms to the entities a “secret mission.”

“I was told that the fundraising from local firms is confidential and should be secretly reviewed. I don’t know why, but maybe that is because the foundations were not established through a legal procedure,” Bang said at the court.

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