Yoon's impeachment hearing cut short due to his absence

But judge says second hearing set for Jan 16 will proceed regardless of his attendance

- Wendy Teo

The first impeachment trial hearing for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ended in minutes, after he failed to turn up. The session had started promptly at 2pm on Jan 14 with the Constitutional Court's acting chief, Justice Moon Hyung-bae, taking the attendance of those present.

Noting the absence of Mr. Yoon, Justice Moon then announced that the hearing would not proceed, adding that the second hearing scheduled for Jan 16 would proceed regardless of Mr. Yoon's attendance. With that, the judge ended the session in four minutes.

Under South Korea's Constitutional Law, if the defendant fails to appear for the first hearing, a new date must be set. And if the defendant fails to turn up again, court proceedings will continue in the defendant's absence.

Mr. Yoon's defense team had earlier stated that the President would not be turning up, citing security concerns that he could be arrested by investigators while en route to the court.

Mr. Yoon is facing, in parallel, criminal investigations on insurrection charges over his short-lived martial law declaration on Dec 3, which has plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades.

Insurrection is one of the few criminal charges from which a South Korean president does not have immunity.

Lawmakers voted for Mr. Yoon's impeachment on Dec 14, with the final decision now resting with the Constitutional Court.

If the court decides that the impeachment motion is legal and valid, Mr. Yoon will be removed from office, and a snap presidential election has to be called within 60 days.