Trial of South Korea's impeached President Yoon set to begin

The trial of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was set to start on Tuesday with oral arguments over his short-lived bid to impose martial law which threw the country into the worst political chaos in decades.

However, the Constitutional Court session is likely to be cut short as Yoon, who has been holed up in his hillside villa in Seoul for weeks, is not expected to attend.

The next trial session is scheduled for Thursday.

The Constitutional Court must decide within 180 days whether to remove Yoon from office or restore his presidential powers.

Yoon Suk Yeol also faces a criminal investigation for alleged insurrection, with authorities seeking to execute an arrest warrant after he ignored summons to appear for questioning.

Yoon’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 that was withdrawn after about six hours has plunged one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies into a period of unprecedented political turbulence.

Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer advising Yoon, said on Monday that the suspended president would not attend the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, saying attempts by authorities to detain him prevented Yoon from expressing his position at the trial.

Meanwhile, Yoon’s chief of staff said on Tuesday that Yoon’s office was ready to consult with investigating authorities in order to avoid a clash during the execution of the arrest warrant against Yoon.

Yoon Suk Yeol could go to a third location outside of his fortified residence, or a visit to his home could be arranged so that investigating authorities could question Yoon, presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk said in a statement on Tuesday.

Investigating authorities, including the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police, have received a re-issued arrest warrant from a South Korean court after their first attempt to detain Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning failed after a stand-off with presidential security officers earlier this month.

CIO, the police and Presidential Security Service (PSS) met on Tuesday to discuss the execution of the latest arrest warrant, investigating authorities said in a statement.
At the meeting, police and CIO asked the PSS for cooperation in executing the warrant peacefully and safely, and were awaiting a response.

The defence ministry said on Tuesday that military forces in charge of presidential security would not be mobilised in relation to Yoon’s warrant execution.

Amid South Korea’s political chaos, North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday, coinciding with a visit to Seoul by Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and less than a week before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

South Korean lawmakers, after being briefed by the National Intelligence Service, said on Monday that the North’s recent weapons tests were partly aimed at “showing off its U.S. deterrent assets and drawing Trump’s attention”.