Our Privacy Statement & Cookie Policy

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.

I agree

S. Korea's court holds 4th hearing of Yoon's impeachment trial

CGTN

 , Updated 21:47, 23-Jan-2025

Translating...

Content is automatically generated by Microsoft Azure Translator Text API. CGTN is not responsible for any of the translations.

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol attends the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, January 23, 2025. /CFP
South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol attends the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, January 23, 2025. /CFP

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol attends the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, January 23, 2025. /CFP

South Korea's constitutional court on Thursday held the fourth hearing of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial, with the arrested president being present for the second time.

Yoon presented himself at the courtroom at about 2:00 p.m. local time (0500 GMT) after attending the third hearing in person on Tuesday for the first time.

During the fourth hearing, Yoon said his martial law imposition did not fail but ended earlier than expected, stressing that he ordered the withdrawal of martial law troops from the National Assembly building as soon as it was repealed by the parliament.

Yoon's testimony was in striking contrast to the comments made by the former deputy chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The former deputy chief told lawmakers Wednesday that Yoon gave him orders over the phone about 20 minutes after the martial law declaration that politicians, including chiefs of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party, should be "rounded up and removed."

Yoon also urged military commanders over the phone to push martial law troops into the chamber of the National Assembly, where lawmakers gathered to lift the martial law, by "firing guns" and "using axes" to break the door open, according to multiple media outlets citing the prosecution's indictment.

Under the constitution, a president is required to report the martial law imposition to the National Assembly, a sole body with the right to repeal the martial law.

The motion to impeach Yoon was passed through the National Assembly on December 14 last year and was delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate for up to 180 days, during which Yoon's presidential powers are suspended.

Yoon, who was named by investigative agencies as a suspected ringleader on an insurrection charge, declared martial law on the night of December 3 last year, which was revoked by the National Assembly hours later.

Throughout the midnight hours, military helicopters landed at the National Assembly, with hundreds of armed special forces troops breaking into the parliamentary building, TV footage showed.

During the hearing, Yoon himself asked questions to Kim Yong-hyun, the arrested former defense minister, claiming that there were not many special forces troops in the main building of the National Assembly.

Kim answered that there were about 280 special forces troops all over the main building.

After the end of the hearing, Yoon was taken back to the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, some 30 km south of the court.

Next hearings are scheduled to be held on February 4, 6, 11 and 13.

A warrant to extend the detention of the arrested president for up to 20 days was granted by a Seoul court on January 19, making Yoon the country's first sitting president to be formally arrested.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) referred Yoon's case to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and demanded Yoon's indictment as the CIO with the right to indict judges, prosecutors and high-ranking police officers has no right to indict the president.

Yoon rejected the CIO's repeated calls to appear in its office for questioning.

The prosecution was widely expected to indict Yoon under detention for the insurrection and other charges around February 5.

Yoon was apprehended in the presidential office on January 15, becoming the country's first sitting president to be arrested.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency
Search Trends