South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was arrested and suspended from office after declaring martial law, appeared in court once again on Tuesday for hearings to determine whether his impeachment will be officially upheld.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, plunged South Korea into political turmoil when he declared martial law on December 3, suspending civilian governance and deploying troops to parliament. However, the martial law lasted only six hours as the opposition-led parliament defied the armed forces, voting down the decree and later impeaching Yoon over the move.
In a separate criminal investigation, Yoon was arrested in a dawn raid in mid-January on charges of insurrection, making him the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. He is currently in detention but has been attending impeachment hearings at the Constitutional Court, which will ultimately decide whether to confirm his impeachment.
If the court uphold the impeachment, a new presidential election must be held within 60 days.
A convoy of black SUVs arrived at the court on Tuesday to transport Yoon for a hearing set to begin at 2:00 p.m. (0500 GMT).
At earlier hearings, Yoon denied accusations that he instructed military commanders to forcibly remove lawmakers from parliament in an effort to prevent them from rejecting his martial law decree—a claim contested by opposition members. Yoon argued that the martial law was not a “failed martial law,” but one that “ended a bit sooner” than anticipated.
During Tuesday’s hearing, two former military commanders and a former intelligence official were scheduled to testify as witnesses.
Hong Jang-won, a former deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, testified that he had been ordered to arrest politicians—contradicting Yoon’s denial of such an order.
Yoon, 64, was indicted in January, with prosecutors accusing him of being the “ringleader of the insurrection.” He faces a separate criminal trial on these charges, with insurrection not being covered by presidential immunity. If convicted, he could face prison time or even the death penalty.
AFP
