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South Korea's Yoon to skip impeachment trial opening

January 12, 2025

Suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's team says he will not attend the impeachment hearing until safety issues are resolved. Yoon faces possible insurrection charges over his December martial law decree.

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Yoon he will not attend the impeachment hearing until safety issues are resolved
Yoon is suspended from his duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate him Image: South Korean Presidential Office/Getty Images

The legal team of South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday said their client would not be attending the opening of his impeachment trial because of security fears.

Since his suspension and an impeachment vote over his ill-fated and short-lived declaration of martial law, Yoon has been isolated in the presidential residence and protected by an elite guard.

Will Yoon have to appear in court?

Yoon's own legal team was cited as saying that he would not attend until security concerns could be cleared up.

South Korea's Constitutional Court is scheduled to formally begin the impeachment process for Yoon on Tuesday.

It has scheduled five trial dates between January 14 and February 4, which will go ahead 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," Yoon's lawyer Yoon Kab-keun said in a statement received by the AFP news agency.

"The president is willing to appear at any time once safety issues are resolved."

South Korean court tries again to arrest president

The case has proved divisive with demonstrations planned by rival camps outside Yoon's residence and on the streets of Seoul. Some protesters are calling for his impeachment to be declared invalid while others want the suspended president to be detained immediately.

The president's guards remain on "high alert," his legal team said.

Where the case against Yoon stands

Yoon has so far refused to meet prosecutors and investigators. His presidential guard unit last month staved off an attempt to arrest him following a tense standoff over several hours.

The court can decide on whether to uphold Yoon's impeachment or restore him to office.

In a separate probe, investigators want to question Yoon on insurrection charges related to his failed martial law declaration. They were said to be preparing another arrest attempt.

If convicted of the crime of leading an insurrection, he could face prison or even the death penalty.

rc/ab (dpa, Reuters)