Hairstyling for arrested South Korean President Yoon not a special favour: Justice Ministry

The Justice Ministry said on Jan 24 that it does not consider its decision to allow hairstyling for President Yoon Suk Yeol ahead of his televised impeachment trial a special favour.

Mr Yoon, under arrest since Jan 15

for a criminal investigation related to his Dec 3, 2024, martial law declaration, attended a hearing at the Constitutional Court on Jan 23. Wearing a suit and a tie, he had neatly groomed hair.

It was his second appearance at the hearing. In his previous one, he wore the same outfit and had his hair similarly groomed.

Representative Park Eun-jung of the minor left-leaning Rebuilding Korea Party claimed that Mr Yoon had received preferential treatment.

In a Facebook post on Jan 23, she alleged that Mr Yoon’s team had requested permission for hairstyling before both court sessions and the ministry approved the request.

In response, the ministry said on Jan 24: “Before President Yoon’s attendance, the presidential office requested the Seoul Detention Centre’s cooperation, citing protocol, courtesy and the significance of the constitutional trial involving a sitting president.

“We sought cooperation from the detention centre because he is the sitting president. There is also a precedent where the centre allowed grooming for a candidate filming a video inside the detention centre, so we do not consider it a special favour.”

In April 2024, Sonamoo Party leader Song Young-gil recorded a campaign speech for the general election inside the Seoul Detention Centre. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK