Constitutional Court schedules Yoon’s first hearing

The Constitutional Court, currently reviewing the impeachment trial of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, has concluded its preparatory procedures on Friday and scheduled the first hearing for 2 p.m. on January 14. This will begin the official deliberation on whether President Yoon has grounds for impeachment. On Friday, the president's legal team submitted part of their responses related to the impeachment trial.

The Constitutional Court announced this decision after conducting the second preparatory hearing for about one hour and 20 minutes in a small courtroom at its office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The court announced this would be the last preparatory hearing and designated the second hearing for 2 p.m. on January 16 in case President Yoon does not attend the first hearing. According to Article 52 of the Constitutional Court Act, the defendant (President Yoon) must appear at the first hearing for an impeachment trial, and if absent, a new date must be set. If the president fails to attend the second hearing, the trial can proceed without the defendant's presence. If the president does not appear on January 14, the proceedings can start from January 16.

President Yoon's legal team submitted part of their responses on Friday morning regarding the impeachment trial, 20 days after the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion on December 14, 2024. Judge Cheong Hyung-sik, who presided over the preparatory hearing as the designated trial judge, asked the defense why there was no answer regarding the deployment of military and police forces to the National Assembly. The legal team responded that they have substantial and critical evidence related to the circumstances surrounding the declaration of martial law, which they intend to present comprehensively during the hearing.

On the same day, heated exchanges arose between the National Assembly and President Yoon's defense team regarding the impeachment trial's procedures and pace. "The impeachment trial of the president is not merely a dispute between the National Assembly and the president but a battleground and war involving all citizens," President Yoon's team argued. "The judges must not hastily reach a sloppy conclusion in the name of speed but proceed cautiously and solemnly," they added. "Such statement distorts the nature of the impeachment trial and insults the judges presiding over the proceedings," the National Assembly responded.


김태언기자 beborn@donga.com