(2nd LD) 1st hearing of Yoon's impeachment trial ends after 4 minutes due to his absence

(ATTN: UPDATES with remarks by Yoon's lawyer, other details; ADDS photo)
By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- The first formal hearing of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial ended after four minutes Tuesday due to his absence, with the Constitutional Court dismissing Yoon's request to exclude one of eight justices from the trial.

The next hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, and the court will proceed with the trial regardless of whether Yoon is present or not, acting court President Moon Hyung-bae said, citing the relevant law.

Tuesday's hearing was held exactly a month after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon over his short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3.

Yoon's lawyers had said earlier that the president, who has been suspended from his duties, will not attend the hearing due to concerns about his personal safety amid investigators' attempt to detain him on charges of insurrection and abuse of power related to his martial law decree.

Moon said the court decided to dismiss Yoon's request to exclude one of eight justices -- Chung Kye-sun -- from the trial. The decision was unanimous among the seven other justices, he said.

Yoon's lawyers had demanded Chung's exclusion, citing concerns her past work as the leader of a progressive law research society could undermine the chances of a fair ruling.

"It is regrettable that our request was dismissed for no particular reason," Yun Gap-geun, a lawyer for Yoon, told reporters after the hearing. "I believe a justice with common sense will recuse herself."

Moon also said the court dismissed Yoon's objection to the court's simultaneous designation of five dates for hearings, saying the decision was made under laws and regulations governing the Constitutional Court, not a criminal court.

"There's no reason to designate five dates against the rules," Yun told reporters. "The Constitutional Court, which should keep and execute the law, is going beyond its powers."

The court has 180 days to decide whether to uphold or reject Yoon's impeachment from the day it received the case on Dec. 14.

If upheld, Yoon will be removed from office, triggering a snap presidential election within 60 days. If dismissed, he will be reinstated.

A team of National Assembly lawmakers and lawyers, who are acting as the prosecutor in the case, criticized Yoon for failing to attend Tuesday's hearing.

"It fully shows President Yoon Suk Yeol's anticonstitutional and hostile stance toward the Constitution," Rep. Kim Gi-pyo of the main opposition Democratic Party said outside the court.

The National Assembly team on Monday requested five witnesses for the trial.

They are Hong Jang-won, former first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service; Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the National Police Agency; Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, chief of the Army Special Warfare Command; Lt. Gen. Lee Jin-woo, commander of the Capital Defense Command; and Lt. Gen. Yeo In-hyung, head of the Defense Counterintelligence Command.

When asked whether Yoon will attend Thursday's hearing, Yun said, "We will decide after carrying out a comprehensive review of how the trial is progressing, future conditions, and our request for witnesses and substantiation plans."

hague@yna.co.kr
(END)