The trial of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was set to begin on Tuesday with oral arguments over his brief attempt to impose martial law, an act that plunged the nation into its worst political crisis in decades.
The session at the Constitutional Court is expected to be short-lived, as Yoon, who has been confined to his villa in the hills of Seoul for weeks, is not anticipated to attend. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
The Constitutional Court has 180 days to decide whether to permanently remove Yoon from office or restore his presidential powers. Meanwhile, Yoon is also under criminal investigation for alleged insurrection, with authorities pursuing an arrest warrant after he failed to comply with summons for questioning.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3, which was retracted after roughly six hours, has shaken one of Asia’s most stable democracies.
Seok Dong-hyeon, Yoon’s legal advisor, said Monday that the suspended president would not attend Tuesday’s session, citing concerns about his ability to present his position freely due to attempts by authorities to detain him.
Yoon’s chief of staff stated on Tuesday that the presidential office was open to coordinating with investigators to prevent conflict over the execution of the arrest warrant.
Chung Jin-suk, the presidential chief of staff, suggested that Yoon could be questioned at a third-party location outside his residence or that investigators could arrange a visit to his home.
Authorities, including the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police, obtained a renewed arrest warrant from the court after an earlier attempt to detain Yoon failed due to a confrontation with presidential security officers.
On Tuesday, the CIO, police, and Presidential Security Service (PSS) held discussions about executing the latest warrant. Authorities requested the PSS’s cooperation to ensure a peaceful and safe process, and they are awaiting a response.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that military forces assigned to presidential security would not be deployed for the warrant’s execution.
As South Korea grapples with political turmoil, North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday, coinciding with a visit to Seoul by Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. The missile tests come just days before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.
South Korean lawmakers, briefed by the National Intelligence Service, said Monday that North Korea’s recent missile activity aimed to demonstrate its deterrence capabilities and capture Trump’s attention.
