( 5 th LD ) Court hears final arguments in Park ' s impeachment trial ( ATTN : UPDATES with hearing ' s closing in para 11 ) SEOUL , Feb . 27 ( Yonhap ) -- The Constitutional Court on Monday heard the final arguments of President Park Geun - hye and the National Assembly as it pushed to complete its review of the legality of the president ' s impeachment by early March . Park did not appear at the final hearing , but she highlighted her efforts to serve the nation in a statement read by one of her defense attorneys . " I have never been involved in corruption and graft in my political journey , " she said in the statement read by Lee Dong - heub . " Among the numerous things I have done until now , not one was for my personal interest , and I have never exercised or abused my authority as president for myself or those around me . " Park was impeached on Dec . 9 for allegedly letting her close friend Choi Soon - sil meddle in state affairs and colluding with her to extort money from local conglomerates . She apologized for causing " great pain " to the people but reiterated her claim that she only received trivial advice from Choi . Whatever happens , Park also vowed to do her best to reunite the nation and overcome the current crisis . Acting Chief Justice Lee Jung - mi presides over the final hearing of President Park Geun - hye ' s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Feb . 27 , 2017 . ( Yonhap ) The prosecution ' s final argument was made by the National Assembly impeachment panel , starting with Rep . Kwon Seong - dong of the minor conservative Bareun Party . Members of the panel especially highlighted Park ' s fault in failing to protect lives during a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300 . The alleged neglect of duty was cited in the parliament ' s impeachment resolution . If the court upholds the impeachment and permanently removes Park from office , South Korea is required to hold a presidential election within 60 days . Park ' s lawyers again challenged the legitimacy of the trial . They argued the ruling will be biased if it is made by eight justices instead of nine , following the retirement of Chief Justice Park Han - chul last month . The court is widely expected to announce its ruling by March 13 , when acting Chief Justice Lee Jung - mi is set to retire . There was speculation that the court may break from past practice and announce the date of its ruling at the end of Monday ' s hearing to prevent unnecessary social strife . But in closing the six - hour session , Lee said the court would designate the date in the future . The court usually announces the date of a ruling three or four days in advance . Both Park ' s lawyers and the parliamentary panel appeared to appeal to the public sentiment by raising issues that have long struck a chord with the president ' s advocates or critics . Lee , the president ' s attorney , noted again that she is unmarried and without children or family to depend on . " She has only spent her time working at Cheong Wa Dae , " he said , referring to the presidential office . " Upholding the impeachment is excessively harsh treatment even from a human perspective . " Lee Yong - gu , a lawyer representing the parliament , meanwhile , reminded the court that 295 died in the ferry disaster , while 152 were injured and nine remain unaccounted for . " What the people want is for the president to show that she values the lives of the people in an emergency and is doing everything possible to save them , " he said . " The president did not demonstrate that and wasn ' t even aware that she had such a responsibility . " Tensions rose between the impeached leader ' s supporters and opponents . From early morning , dozens of protesters rallied outside the court to demand Park ' s ouster or reinstatement . The protests were nonviolent , although sometimes rowdy , prompting police to intervene and remove protesters from the site . President Park Geun - hye ' s supporters rally outside the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Feb . 27 , 2017 . ( Yonhap ) hague @ yna . co . kr ( END )