SEOUL (Kyodo) -- South Korea's Constitutional Court said it will hand down a ruling Friday regarding whether to remove or reinstate impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection with his brief imposition of martial law in early December.

Yoon's authority has been suspended since the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion in mid-December. The motion, submitted by opposition parties, alleged that he imposed martial law without meeting constitutional requirements, such as signs of war or a comparable national crisis.

If the court upholds the motion in the ruling scheduled for 11 a.m., Yoon will be removed from office immediately with an election to choose a new president held within 60 days. He will be reinstated if the motion is dismissed or rejected.

The nine-seat court currently has one vacant seat. The support of at least six of the justices is required to uphold the impeachment motion.

The court held 11 hearings in the case since January, with Yoon appearing in person several times.

Yoon claims his brief declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 was a reasonable measure as the main opposition Democratic Party had paralyzed state affairs by repeatedly submitting impeachment motions against officials of his administration.