South Korea: Yoon to attend hearing of impeachment trial on Tuesday

Seoul, Jan 20 South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, his lawyers said on Monday.

The court is set to hold the third hearing on the impeachment trial at 2 p.m. on Tuesday to review evidence submitted by the National Assembly related to his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3.

It would mark the first time for an impeached president to personally appear at a Constitutional Court trial, Yonhap news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, Yoon was moved to a solitary cell in the general wing of the Seoul Detention Center after being formally arrested over the weekend, a correctional official said on Monday.

Yoon was transferred to a 12-square-metre cell at the detention centre in Uiwang, south of Seoul, on Sunday after the Seoul Western District Court issued a warrant for his formal arrest, according to Shin Yong-hae, commissioner general of the Korea Correctional Service.

Yoon will be referred to by his inmate number, 10, instead of his name, officials confirmed.

"(Yoon) was moved from a holding room for suspects to the general detention wing, and I received a report that he spent the night well," Shin told lawmakers during a session of the National Assembly's legislation and judiciary committee.

Yoon's cell, typically designed to hold five or six people, is similar in size to those used to detain past presidents, Shin said.

The official informed lawmakers that Yoon cooperated with the procedures for his detention, such as taking a mug shot and undergoing a physical exam. A personal correctional officer has been assigned to ensure his safety, he added.

Shin also mentioned that his office is cooperating with the police and the Presidential Security Service to ensure security, amid concerns that Yoon's supporters may take drastic actions, such as attempting to free the detained president.

Meanwhile, Yoon's lawyers called on the state anti-corruption agency to immediately withdraw its decision the previous day to restrict the detained president from receiving visitations.

"Restricting family visitations is not for the purpose of an investigation but merely an act of venting against the president," Yun Gap-geun, his lawyer, said in a statement.