President Yoon Suk Yeol holds up his fists as his supporters greet him at his residence in Seoul's Yongsan District, March 8, after the president was released from custody earlier that day. Yonhap

With the Constitutional Court expected to rule on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment as early as this week, the suspended leader is facing growing calls to make a public pledge that he will accept the verdict — regardless of the outcome — to prevent potential unrest by those who call for or oppose his ouster.

Yoon, who was released from custody on March 8 after 52 days of detention due to his imposition of martial law, remains at his official residence in Seoul, awaiting the court's final decision.

While several ruling party politicians and one of the president's lawyers have expressed a willingness to accept the court's verdict, Yoon himself has remained silent so far. In his statement during the court's final hearing on his impeachment trial on Feb. 25, he only said that he would use his remaining term for political reform and constitutional amendment if reinstated — without commenting on the possibility of his removal.

Political observers view that Yoon himself must publicly commit to abiding by the decision.

"As the head of state, he has a duty to uphold constitutional principles, which he vowed to do when he took office. The president should announce that he will accept the court's decision, or risk plunging the nation into deeper turmoil," said Lee Joon-han, a political science professor at Incheon National University.

"Beyond the risk of violent protests, if Yoon refuses to respect the verdict [in case the impeachment is confirmed], his claims of election fraud will continue to haunt every future election in our country."

Supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally near the Constitutional Court in Seoul's Jongno District, Wednesday, calling on the court to dismiss Yoon's impeachment. Yonhap

Such concerns are based on intensifying protests by both supporters and opponents of Yoon's ouster in recent weeks, with larger-scale, potentially violent rallies expected following the verdict.

A poll conducted between March 10 and 12 by Embrain Public, K-Stat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research, which surveyed 1,000 adults, found that 42 percent of respondents said they would not accept the court's ruling if it differed from their own views.

Supporters of Yoon have been gathering near the court in recent days, demanding that the impeachment be dismissed. Many of them echo Yoon's claims of election fraud, which he has used repeatedly to justify his martial law declaration.

Even more supporters are expected to gather on the day of the ruling.

This situation brings to mind March 10, 2017, when the court ruled in favor of former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment. At the time, Park did not immediately release a statement of acceptance, and violent protests by her supporters near the court resulted in four deaths. Two days later, Park said, "The truth will come out," while expressing gratitude to her supporters.

Concerns are mounting that similar unrest could erupt if the court rules against Yoon, especially following the Jan. 19 storming of the Seoul Western District Court, in which dozens of his loyalists entered the local court to protest a judge's decision to issue an arrest warrant for the president.

Amid growing tensions, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), said on Sunday that his party would "respect the Constitutional Court's final verdict," but refrained from commenting on whether this stance was shared with the presidential office.

A notice displayed at Anguk Station near the Constitutional Court, Sunday, reads that the station will be closed on the day of the court ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. Yonhap

The presidential office reportedly stated that this issue should be discussed with Yoon's legal team.

Earlier in February, Yoon's legal representative Seok Dong-hyeon said "the president will naturally accept the court's ruling."

However, there is little indication that Yoon himself will issue a statement of acceptance before the ruling.

"A message from the president would help the PPP stabilize the situation after the court ruling. However, given the president's defiant stance, he is unlikely to issue any specific messages, even if the ruling party requests him to do so," said Cho Jin-man, a political science professor at Duksung Women's University.

Throughout the impeachment trial, Yoon has consistently maintained that his martial law declaration was within his presidential authority.

During the final hearing on Feb. 25, the president delivered a 70-minute appeal defending his actions and accused his political opponents of colluding with anti-state forces.

“If I am reinstated, I will dedicate the remainder of my term to political reform,” he said, a remark some have interpreted as confidence that the court will rule in his favor.

His other statements issued in the wake of the martial law fiasco have also largely focused on expressing gratitude to his supporters, vowing to “fight together until the end.”