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Yoon to attend impeachment, criminal trials over martial law this week

Published: 16 Feb. 2025, 18:49

CHO JUNG-WOO
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President Yoon Suk Yeol attends the seventh hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 11. [NEWS1]

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to attend both his impeachment and criminal trials this week, with his criminal trial officially beginning on Thursday.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, a preparatory hearing for his alleged role in masterminding a martial law plot is scheduled to take place, followed by a court review of a request to revoke his arrest, at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul.

Yoon is not required to appear for the preparatory hearing, but he may attend the court’s review of his arrest warrant.

Later that day, at 2 p.m., the Constitutional Court scheduled the 10th hearing for Yoon’s impeachment trial, where he will face Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as a witness. Han is also undergoing his own impeachment trial, which is set to begin on Wednesday.

Han is one of three witnesses approved by the court for the 10th hearing, reversing an earlier decision to exclude him from the trial. The other two witnesses are former National Intelligence Service First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won and National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Ji-ho.

The Constitutional Court has scheduled two additional hearings for Yoon’s impeachment trial this week, on Tuesday and Thursday. However, due to the scheduling conflict on Thursday, Yoon’s attorneys have requested to postpone the 10th hearing to Feb. 25. The court has not yet announced its decision on the request.

Impeached Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 6. [YONHAP]

During the ninth hearing on Tuesday, lawyers for Yoon and the National Assembly’s impeachment investigation committee would be given two hours each to present their arguments based on testimonies and evidence presented to the court over the previous eight hearings.

If the hearings proceed as scheduled, the court is expected to announce its verdict in early or mid-March. If six or more of the court’s current eight justices vote to uphold Yoon’s impeachment, he will be removed immediately from office.

On Sunday, Yoon’s defense team refuted claims that the president ordered the martial law command to cut electricity at the National Assembly as the liberal Democratic Party (DP) called for a “stern investigation” into the matter the same day.

In a statement, his attorneys argued that neither the president nor the defense minister had ordered former Army Special Warfare Command chief Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun to cut power, calling the claim a “fabrication.”

Democratic Party Rep. Han Byung-do points to CCTV footage showing the martial law command cutting off power at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, during an emergency press conference at the parliament on Feb. 16.[YONHAP]

Earlier that day, the DP held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly, arguing that military forces had partially cut power on the first basement floor of the main building in an attempt to “paralyze the parliament’s function.”

The DP also released CCTV footage showing martial law troops switching off the emergency lighting circuit breaker on the first basement floor. According to the footage, at around 1:06 a.m. on Dec. 4, the troops entered the main building, opened the distribution panel and turned off both the general and emergency lighting, cutting power to the area.

Yoon’s defense team said discussions about cutting power were part of the 707th Special Mission Group’s strategy to restrict access to the area, citing Kwak’s testimony.

Kwak testified during a Feb. 6 hearing that cutting power was not ordered by the president or the defense minister but had been discussed as part of efforts to control access to the location.

On the same day, Yoon’s attorneys announced that they have opened recruitment for overseas residents to join a defense team composed of ordinary citizens, which kicked off Thursday, aiming to “expand its network globally.”

BY CHO JUNG-WOO,MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]