South Korea: First hearing of Yoon's impeachment trial ends after four minutes due to his absence

Seoul, Jan 14 The first formal hearing of South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial ended after four minutes on Tuesday due to his absence, with the Constitutional Court dismissing Yoon's request to exclude one of eight justices from the trial.

The next hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, and the court will proceed with the trial regardless of whether Yoon is present or not, acting court President Moon Hyung-bae said, citing the relevant law.

Tuesday's hearing was held exactly a month after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon over his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3.

Yoon's lawyers had said earlier that the president, who has been suspended from his duties, will not attend the hearing due to concerns about his personal safety amid investigators' attempt to detain him on charges of insurrection and abuse of power related to his martial law decree.

Moon said the court decided to dismiss Yoon's request to exclude one of eight justices -- Chung Kye-sun -- from the trial. The decision was unanimous among the seven other justices, he said.

Yoon's lawyers had demanded Chung's exclusion, citing concerns her past work as the leader of a progressive law research society could undermine the chances of a fair ruling.

Moon also said the court dismissed Yoon's objection to the court's simultaneous designation of five dates for hearings, saying the decision was made under laws and regulations governing the Constitutional Court, not a criminal court.

The court has 180 days to decide whether to uphold or reject Yoon's impeachment from the day it received the case on December 14.

If upheld, Yoon will be removed from office, triggering a snap presidential election within 60 days. If dismissed, he will be reinstated.

The National Assembly, which is acting as the prosecutor in the case, requested five witnesses for the trial on Monday, Yonhap news agency reported.

They are Hong Jang-won, former first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service; Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the National Police Agency; Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, chief of the Army Special Warfare Command; Lt. Gen. Lee Jin-woo, commander of the Capital Defence Command; and Lt. Gen. Yeo In-hyung, head of the Defence Counterintelligence Command.

Source: IANS