South Korea’s suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol will not attend the first hearing of his impeachment trial next week due to safety concerns, according to his lawyer on Sunday.
Yoon, who has been staying in the presidential residence and protected by an elite guard force since his suspension and impeachment last month, is avoiding meeting prosecutors and investigators. His presidential guard unit thwarted an attempt to arrest him earlier this month following a tense standoff.
The Constitutional Court has set five trial dates from January 14 to February 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 January 14,” his lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun, said in a statement 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 Yoon on insurrection charges related to his failed martial law declaration are preparing for another arrest attempt.
His lawyers have claimed that both the initial seven-day warrant and the new one secured this week are “unlawful.” The length of the new warrant remains undisclosed, though reports suggest it is longer than the previous one.
Protesters both for and against Yoon have gathered almost daily in Seoul since the crisis began. Additional protests were planned outside Yoon’s residence and throughout the city, with rival camps either calling for his impeachment to be invalidated or for his immediate detention.
Yoon’s legal team said his guards remain on “high alert.”
If investigators manage to detain him, Yoon would become the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. Conviction could lead to prison time or even the death penalty.
A team of Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) officials and police are preparing for their next attempt, which they have indicated could be their final one. The CIO warned that anyone obstructing the attempt could be detained.
The former Presidential Security Service (PSS) chief, Park Chong-jun, resigned on Friday, and his replacement, a Yoon loyalist, has been tasked with ensuring no bloodshed in a second arrest attempt.
Acting PSS chief Kim Seong-hun, who refused to attend a third summons on Saturday, could face arrest for failing to protect Yoon. On Saturday, Lee Jin-ha, head of the security division, was questioned.
Authorities are planning to mobilize 1,000 investigators for the renewed arrest attempt.
Despite the ongoing crisis, Yoon’s ruling party has seen a rise in approval ratings. A Gallup survey on Friday showed the People Power Party’s approval rating increased from 24 percent to 34 percent over the past three weeks.
