South Korea: President Yoon's Attorney Declares His Absence from Initial Hearing in Impeachment Proceedings
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Seoul, Jan 12 (NationPress) The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, will be absent from the initial formal hearing in his impeachment proceedings this week, citing fears for his personal safety, according to his lawyer's statement on Sunday.
Yun Gap-geun, representing Yoon, announced that the Constitutional Court is set to commence the first oral arguments regarding Yoon's impeachment on Tuesday, while authorities are attempting to detain the impeached president for questioning linked to a separate incident involving his brief declaration of martial law, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.
Yun expressed, "As efforts to unlawfully execute an invalid arrest warrant are in motion, there are significant concerns regarding personal safety and potential incidents." He added, "For the president to attend the trial, the matter of personal safety and security must be adequately addressed."
If these concerns are resolved, the impeached president intends to participate in his trial, Yun indicated.
The Constitutional Court previously announced that oral arguments for the trial would begin on Tuesday, with a total of five hearing sessions scheduled to take place until February 4.
Yoon's legal representatives have mentioned in earlier statements that the president will attend his impeachment trial at a “suitable” time to present his defense.
Should Yoon not appear for the hearing on Tuesday, the court will need to adjourn the session and reconvene on Thursday for a second session, which could proceed even in Yoon's absence.
Authorities had previously attempted to detain Yoon but were met with resistance from the Presidential Security Service, resulting in a prolonged standoff. A second attempt to apprehend him is anticipated, following a Seoul court's approval to extend the warrant last week.
In a separate development, Yoon's legal team visited the state anti-corruption agency's office on Sunday to formally designate themselves as Yoon's legal representatives.
During this visit, the lawyers emphasized the necessity of dialogue to avert a physical confrontation between the police and the presidential security service during the expected detainment attempt.
