South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, appeared in court once again on Tuesday as proceedings continued to determine whether he will be officially removed from office.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, triggered political upheaval in the country after declaring martial law on December 3, suspending civilian governance and deploying troops to parliament.
His attempt to enforce martial law collapsed within six hours as opposition lawmakers resisted military intervention, voted to overturn his decree, and subsequently impeached him.
In a separate legal case, Yoon was arrested during a pre-dawn raid in mid-January on insurrection charges, making him the first sitting South Korean president to be detained.
Although he remains in custody, he has been attending hearings at the Constitutional Court, which holds the power to uphold or dismiss his impeachment.
If the court rules in favour of impeachment, South Korea will be required to hold a presidential election within 60 days.
On Tuesday, a convoy of black SUVs transported Yoon to the court for a hearing set to begin at 2:00 pm (0500 GMT).
During previous hearings, Yoon refuted allegations that he had directed military leaders to “drag out” lawmakers from parliament to prevent them from overturning his declaration. Opposition legislators have challenged his denial.
He has maintained that his short-lived imposition of martial law was not a “failed martial law” but rather one that “ended a bit sooner” than he anticipated.
Tuesday’s proceedings included testimony from two former military commanders and a former intelligence official.
Among them, Hong Jang-won, a former deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers that he had received orders to arrest politicians—an assertion that contradicts Yoon’s denial of issuing such directives.
Yoon, 64, was formally indicted in January, with prosecutors labeling him as the “ringleader of the insurrection.”
The insurrection charge is not protected by presidential immunity, meaning Yoon could face trial separately for the alleged offense. If found guilty, he could face imprisonment or even the death penalty.
