The first formal impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol ended abruptly due to his absence. During the trial, the Constitutional Court rejected Yoon Suk Yeol's request to disqualify one of the eight judges from the trial, Yonhap reported.
The next impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. on January 16 and the court will proceed regardless of whether Yoon Suk Yeol is present, acting presiding judge Moon Hyung Bae said.
The January 14 trial was held exactly one month after the South Korean National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over the martial law he declared on December 3, 2024.
President Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyers had earlier said that his client would not attend the first court hearing due to concerns about his personal safety as investigators seek to arrest the president on charges of rebellion and abuse of power. President Yoon Suk Yeol has now been suspended from office.
During the January 14 hearing, acting presiding judge Moon Hyung Bae said the court had decided to reject President Yoon Suk Yeol’s request to remove Judge Chung Kye Sun from the trial. The decision was supported by the remaining seven judges.
President Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyer has asked for Judge Chung Kye Sun's removal over concerns that her previous work as head of a progressive legal research society could affect her ability to make fair judgments.
"It is regrettable that our request was rejected without any specific reason," Yun Gap Geun, lawyer for President Yoon Suk Yeol, told reporters after the trial.
Acting presiding judge Moon Hyung Bae also said that the court rejected President Yoon Suk Yeol's objection to the court's simultaneous appointment of five days for the impeachment trial, emphasizing that the decision was made in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the Constitutional Court, not the criminal court.
The Constitutional Court of South Korea has 180 days to decide whether to accept or reject the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol from the date of receiving the case on December 14, 2024.
If the court rules against impeachment, President Yoon Suk Yeol will be removed from office, leading to a snap presidential election within 60 days. If he wins the case, he will be reinstated.
When asked whether President Yoon Suk Yeol would attend the trial on January 16, lawyer Yun Gap Geun said, "We will decide after conducting a comprehensive review of the trial's progress, future conditions, and witness requests as well as our evidence plan."
