Yoon Impeachment Trial Adjourned After South Korean President Refuses to Appear
The impeachment trial of South Korea’s suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol was abruptly adjourned on Tuesday after the president failed to attend the opening hearing, Al Jazeera reports.
The Constitutional Court proceedings, which will determine if Yoon will be stripped of his presidential duties following a controversial power grab in December, were halted minutes after starting due to the president’s absence.
Yoon’s legal team had previously stated that he would not participate in the hearing, citing an ongoing attempt by authorities to detain him as preventing him from presenting his defense. The president has reportedly remained at his Seoul villa for weeks, seeking to avoid arrest.
The court now has 180 days from December 14 to reach a decision. At least six of the eight justices must vote in favor of impeachment for Yoon to be formally removed from office.
Under South Korean law, the court is obligated to reschedule the hearing before it can proceed without the president’s presence. The next hearing is now scheduled for Thursday. Yoon’s lawyers have indicated they will decide after discussions whether he will appear.
They reiterated claims that the arrest warrant held by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) is invalid and that the president would respond to a legal and properly executed detention warrant.
The CIO has been attempting to arrest Yoon for weeks, but have faced resistance from his presidential guard and supporters. Authorities have stated they are planning a second attempt to take the suspended president into custody as the trial proceedings begin.
Presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk issued a statement criticizing the actions of the CIO and police, suggesting that their efforts to arrest Yoon resembled an attempt to drag him from his home “like a member of a South American drug cartel.” He proposed that Yoon be questioned at a “third site” or at his residence as an alternative.
However, Yoon’s lawyers have stated they have no immediate plans to make him available for questioning. Earlier this month, on January 3, the Presidential Security Service prevented investigators from detaining Yoon during a nearly six-hour standoff.
The CIO and police are jointly investigating whether Yoon’s brief martial law declaration was an attempted rebellion, and have pledged to take more forceful measures to arrest him.
