South Korea’s impeached President, Yoon Suk Yeol, will not attend the Constitutional Court’s first formal hearing to decide his removal or reinstatement, citing personal safety concerns. According to his lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun, the decision was made in response to ongoing threats to the president’s security.
The hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, is the latest chapter in a political saga that has gripped the nation. Yoon, who faces impeachment over corruption allegations and his failed attempt to impose martial law in December, has become a polarising figure.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is planning another attempt to detain Yoon following an earlier failed arrest on January 3. That attempt led to a tense, hours-long standoff with security forces at the president’s fortified residence in central Seoul.
Yoon Kab-keun criticised the CIO’s methods, stating, “Officials and police are attempting to execute illegal arrest warrants through questionable methods, jeopardising the president’s safety. For him to appear at the trial, these security risks must be addressed.”
Yoon’s controversial attempt to impose martial law triggered South Korea’s most significant political crisis in decades, severely impacting public trust and economic growth projections in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
As the impeachment trial unfolds, the nation watches closely, aware that the court’s decision could reshape South Korea’s political and economic trajectory.