Pres. Yoon refuses impeachment documents for a week

With the National Assembly’s passage of the impeachment motion, President Yoon Suk Yeol now faces an impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court. However, concerns over delays in the trial are growing as President Yoon has refused to receive related documents for a week. Legal experts point out that despite his earlier statement to the public, promising, “I will not evade issues of legal or political responsibility,” he appears to be deliberately employing stalling tactics, leveraging his legal knowledge and experience. The opposition has strongly criticized this, labeling him a “law eel,” combining the words “law” and “eel” to imply evasiveness.

As of Sunday, legal circles report that President Yoon has not accepted the impeachment trial notice, summons, and preparatory orders sent by the Constitutional Court through mail and personal delivery multiple times since last Monday. The court had requested a response within seven days of receiving the notice, but the refusal to accept the documents has delayed the submission of a response.

This marks the first time that the initial procedural step of serving trial documents has been delayed for a week in a presidential impeachment case. Former President Roh Moo-hyun received the impeachment notice the day after the National Assembly’s motion was passed in 2004, and former President Park Geun-hye received it on the day of the motion’s passage in 2016.

President Yoon has not clearly explained his refusal to receive the documents. Legal experts suggest that as a legal expert, he may be attempting to prolong the impeachment trial process, which can last up to 180 days, to rally support from conservative voters. Some speculate that this is a stalling strategy aimed at creating an opportunity to sway public opinion, potentially using the second-instance trial results of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, concerning election law violations. One insider of the legal circle commented, “He is breaking his promise to the public not to evade responsibility, further exacerbating uncertainty in governance.”


김자현 기자 zion37@donga.com