Justice Cheong Hyung-sik faces the most consequential challenge of his judicial career after being selected to lead South Korea’s Constitutional Court in President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment trial.

His designation by a random, computerized draw places him in the unprecedented position of overseeing a case that could determine the fate of the president who appointed him.

Cheong’s selection has heightened scrutiny of the six-member bench, which must rule on Yoon’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration with three vacant seats — a rare and high-stakes scenario. As Yoon’s sole court appointee, Cheong’s impartiality is under intense examination in a trial that could