A lawyer advising Yoon said the president, who has been holed up in his mansion on a hill in Seoul for weeks, would not appear, saying the authorities’ attempt to detain him prevented Yoon from expressing his views at the trial.
The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, and if Yoon also fails to attend, the trial will continue with his legal team representing him, Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said.
One of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kab-keun, said the president would decide whether to go to court in person on Thursday after discussing his defense strategy.
The Constitutional Court must decide within 180 days whether to remove Yoon from office or restore his presidential powers. Yoon also faces a criminal investigation for alleged sedition, with authorities seeking an arrest warrant after he ignored calls to appear for questioning.
“There must be a legitimate warrant and … it must be lawfully presented and executed,” which does not mean “jumping fences or damaging property without presenting a warrant,” said his lawyer Yoon, reiterating that the current arrest warrant is invalid.
Yoon’s declaration of emergency on December 3, which was withdrawn after about six hours, plunged one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies into a period of unprecedented political turbulence. Yoon’s chief of staff said on Tuesday that Yoon’s office may consult with investigating authorities to avoid conflict during the execution of the arrest warrant.
Yoon could go to a third location outside his fortified residence or a visit to his home could be arranged so investigative authorities could question him, presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk said in a statement on Tuesday.
Investigative authorities, including the Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials (CIO) and police, received a renewed arrest warrant from a South Korean court after their first attempt to detain Yoon for questioning failed following a clash with presidential security officials earlier this month.
The CIO, the police and the Presidential Security Service (PSS) met on Tuesday to discuss the execution of the latest arrest warrant, investigative bodies said in a statement. At the meeting, the police and the CIO asked the security service for cooperation in the peaceful and safe execution of the order, and they are waiting for a response.
The Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that military forces tasked with presidential security would not be mobilized in connection with the execution of Yoon’s order.
(Vijesti.ba / HINA)
