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full screen Protesters in South Korea are demanding the arrest of ousted President Yoon Suk-Yeol. Photo: Ahn Young-Joon
South Korea’s suspended President Yoon Suk-Yeol will not appear in the first hearing in the impeachment trial against him.
The reason is security risks, according to his lawyer.
The Constitutional Court of South Korea has five trial dates scheduled between January 14 and February 4. The impeachment trial will be held without Yoon if he does not appear.
“There have been concerns about safety and potential incidents. The president will therefore not be able to attend the trial on January 14,” his lawyer said in a statement.
“The president is willing to appear at any time when the security issues are resolved.”
Since Yoon was suspended from his post in December, after facing impeachment, he has refused to meet with prosecutors and investigators. Instead, he has locked himself in his residence, protected by guards.
The police have made several attempts to arrest him – but to no avail. In South Korea’s capital Seoul, where Yoon has his residence, both opponents and supporters of him have gathered almost daily for protests.