Suspended South Korean President Yun Seok-Yeol will not attend the first hearing of his impeachment trial next week due to security concerns, his lawyer said.
Yun has been holed up in the presidential palace and protected by elite security forces since he was suspended and impeached last month following the brief imposition of martial law that plunged the country into political turmoil.
He has refused to meet with prosecutors and investigators, and earlier this month the presidential guard thwarted an attempt to arrest him after a tense standoff lasting several hours.
The Constitutional Court has scheduled five hearings from January 14 to February 4, and if he does not attend, the hearings will be held in his absence.
“Concerns have been raised regarding safety and potential accidents. Therefore, the president will not be able to attend the January 14 trial,” lawyer Yoon Kapgun said in a statement on Sunday. “The president is ready to appear in court once the security issues are resolved.”
The court will decide whether to uphold his impeachment or reinstate him in office.
Separately, investigative authorities seeking to interrogate Yun on riot charges related to his ill-fated declaration of martial law are preparing another arrest plan. If investigative authorities are able to detain Yoon, he would be the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. If convicted of sedition, a person could be sentenced to prison or even the death penalty.
Yun's lawyers said his security guards remained on “high alert.”
The Corruption Unit's investigation team and police are planning their next attempt, which they say could be the last.
The CIO said anyone who thwarted the effort could be taken into custody themselves, and police reportedly held a meeting of top commanders on Friday to plan new efforts.
Former presidential security chief Park Chung-joon, who resigned on Friday and was automatically replaced by a more hardline Yoon supporter, told reporters there should be no bloodshed in the second arrest. Ta.
Yonhap News reported that the National Investigation Headquarters, a police agency, sent a letter to senior police officials in Seoul asking them to prepare to mobilize 1,000 investigators for the new effort.
Rival protesters supporting and opposing Mr. Yoon have gathered in South Korea's capital almost every day since the crisis erupted.
As the crisis drags on, the approval ratings of Yun's ruling party have soared.
A new Gallup poll released Friday showed the People Power Party's approval rating rose to 34% from 24% three weeks ago.
