South Korean Constitutional Court moves forward with Yoon’s impeachment trial despite tight schedule
Seoul, Feb 18 (IANS) The South Korean Constitutional Court decided on Tuesday to proceed with its 10th hearing of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial as planned, increasing the likelihood that a ruling could be reached by the end of next month.
Yoon had initially requested a postponement of Thursday’s 2 pm hearing, citing a scheduling conflict with the first preliminary hearing of his criminal trial on insurrection charges.
Moon Hyung-bae, the acting court president, rejected the request, noting that the criminal trial hearing was set for 10 a.m. the same day, leaving enough time for both proceedings.
Moon also cited other factors, including the need to coordinate the schedules of all parties involved, such as Yoon and the National Assembly’s legal teams, the justices, and the witnesses.
However, near the end of Tuesday’s hearing, the court agreed to push the impeachment hearing to 3 pm, following a renewed request from Yoon’s lawyer Yun Gap-geun, who argued that “unforeseeable circumstances” during the criminal trial could cause delays.
With the rescheduling, the 10th hearing is expected to conclude around 9 pm at the earliest.
The court’s decision to adhere to its hearing schedule, despite time constraints, suggests the proceedings could conclude soon, potentially paving the way for a verdict by late March on whether to remove Yoon from office or reinstate him.
At Tuesday’s hearing, the legal representatives of Yoon and the National Assembly summarised their arguments to date.
The court also reviewed previously admitted but unexamined evidence. No witnesses testified.
The hearing will leave only one additional hearing Thursday before proceedings wrap up, and each side is asked to present their final statements.
Impeached Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Hong Jang-won, former first Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service, have been called to testify as witnesses Thursday.
Meanwhile, Cho Ji-ho, Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, declined to testify for the third time. The court previously asked prosecutors to forcibly bring in Cho, who refused two previous requests over health issues.
Yoon arrived at the court in a convoy but left shortly before the hearing began to return to the Seoul Detention Center, where he has been held since mid-January, Yonhap news agency reported.
His legal team said he met with his lawyers and determined his attendance was not necessary, as they would only be presenting a summary of their arguments so far.
The South Korean president has been standing trial at the Constitutional Court on the validity of his impeachment by the National Assembly over his short-lived December 3 imposition of martial law, while also facing criminal charges of inciting an insurrection through the decree.
–IANS
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