President Park refuses to testify at impeachment hearing

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South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday refused to appear at the first Constitutional Court hearing into her impeachment.

Given that the scandal-scarred president continues to refute all charges against her, a stiff court battle is expected. Park's legal team said she will not attend any of the remaining sessions.

With Park's refusal to testify, the first hearing ended just nine minutes after starting at 2:00 p.m. local time.

The first hearing arguments for South Korean President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on January 3, 2017. /CFP Photo

The Constitutional Court had previously ruled that Park did not have to appear for questioning, though the case will continue whether she attends or not.

The second day of hearings is scheduled for Thursday, when four former secretaries to Park are due to be questioned. The third session will be held next Tuesday to grill two senior presidential advisors and Choi Soon-sil, Park's longtime confidante at the center of the influence-peddling scandal, as witnesses.

Court deliberations can last up to 180 days, but a decision is anticipated as early as late February. A majority of South Koreans are pressing the court to make a quick ruling.

The motion to impeach President Park was passed in the National Assembly by an overwhelming majority on December 9, 2016. If the court upholds it, an election must be held within 60 days to replace the impeached leader.

People attend a protest demanding South Korean President Park Geun-hye's resignation in Seoul, South Korea, December 31, 2016. /CFP Photo

Park Han-chul, the court's chief justice, said he and his fellow judges will make their best endeavors to "sternly and fairly" deliberate the case.

The judges recognize the graveness of this case and the power vacuum the suspension of the president has caused, he added.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye speaks during a meeting with reporters at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on January 1, 2017. /CFP Photo

Park held a rare meeting with local journalists on Sunday, denying all allegations on her involvement in the scandal. It was viewed by some as a strategy to turn public opinion to her favor.

The presidential Blue House told media outlets that Park plans to hold further such press briefings, indicating a counterattack through the press as well as via her counsels in court.

Rep. Kwon Seong-dong, who leads the assembly's judiciary committee, rapped Park for the press meeting, urging the impeached president to appear in court to prove her innocence.

Kwon and two other lawmakers of the committee, assisted by 11 attorneys, are acting as prosecutors at the Constitutional Court hearings.

Park's legal team, composed of nine lawyers, insisted the press meeting did not constitute a breach of law.

(Story adapted from Xinhua)

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