S. Korea’s Yoon will not attend first impeachment hearing: Lawyer
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Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyers Seok Dong-hyeon (left) and Yoon Kab-keun attending a press conference in Seoul on Jan 9.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will not attend the first hearing of his impeachment trial next week because of safety concerns, his lawyer said on Jan 12.
Mr Yoon has been holed up in the presidential residence and protected by an elite guard force since being suspended and impeached in December 2024, following a short-lived declaration of martial law
He has refused to meet prosecutors and investigators, and his presidential guard unit thwarted an attempt to arrest him following a tense hours-long stand-off earlier in January.
The Constitutional Court has scheduled five trial dates spanning from Jan 14 to Feb 4, which will proceed in his absence if he does not attend.
“Concerns about safety and potential incidents have arisen. Therefore, the President will not be able to attend the trial on Jan 14,” lawyer Yoon Kab-keun said in a statement sent to AFP.
“The President is willing to appear at any time once safety issues are resolved.”
The court will decide whether to uphold his impeachment or restore him to office.
Separately, investigators seeking to question Mr Yoon on insurrection charges linked to his ill-fated martial law declaration are preparing another arrest attempt.
His lawyers have repeatedly said an initial seven-day warrant and the new one they secured this week were both “unlawful”.
Investigators have kept secret the length of the new warrant, with local media reports saying it is longer than the previous seven days.
‘High alert’
Rival protesters for and against Mr Yoon have gathered almost daily in the South Korean capital since the crisis unfolded.
On Jan 12, more demonstrations were planned by rival camps outside Mr Yoon’s residence and on the streets of Seoul – either calling for his impeachment to be declared invalid or for him to be detained immediately.
The President’s legal team says his guards remain on “high alert”.
Mr Yoon would become the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested if investigators are able to detain him. If convicted, he faces prison or even the death penalty.
A team of Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) investigators and police are planning for the next attempt,
The CIO said anyone obstructing their attempt could be detained themselves, and the police reportedly held a meeting of top commanders on Jan 10 to plan for the renewed effort.
Former presidential guard security chief Park Chong-jun – who resigned on Jan 10 and was automatically replaced by a more hardline Yoon loyalist – told reporters there must be no bloodshed in any second arrest attempt.
He faced two days of questioning and did not explain his resignation.
“I am cooperating as diligently as possible with the authorities’ investigation,” he told reporters on Jan 11.
His replacement, acting Presidential Security Service chief Kim Seong-hun, refused to turn up to a third summons on Jan 11, claiming he had to protect Mr Yoon, opening him up to possible arrest.
The service’s security and safety division head Lee Jin-ha was questioned on Jan 11.
The National Office of Investigation, a police unit, sent a note to high-ranking police officials in Seoul requesting they prepare to mobilise 1,000 investigators for the fresh attempt, the Yonhap news agency reported.
As the crisis goes on, Mr Yoon’s ruling party has seen a bump in approval ratings.
A new Gallup survey published on Jan 10 showed the People Power Party’s approval rating had risen to 34 per cent from 24 per cent three weeks ago. AFP
