Constitutional Court Denies Yoon's Side Request to Postpone Impeachment Trial

The side of President Yoon Seok-yeol, who refused to comply with the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), must also respond to the impeachment trial that is intensifying at the Constitutional Court. They have to overcome two waves: the investigation surrounding the declaration of martial law and the impeachment trial. While President Yoon's side has requested sufficient time for deliberation, the Constitutional Court has declared a principle of swift proceedings, creating a burdensome situation for President Yoon's side.

In this regard, President Yoon's side submitted a request to postpone the second hearing scheduled for 2 p.m. on the 16th, but the Constitutional Court did not accept it. Accordingly, the hearing will proceed without President Yoon's attendance. Initially, President Yoon had expressed the intention to personally participate in the impeachment trial, but since being arrested by the CIO, this also seems unlikely for the time being.

The Constitutional Court on the 16th, the second hearing date for the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol, located in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

During the first hearing, President Yoon's side filed a batch of motions, including a request to disqualify judges and three objections related to trial procedures. However, the Constitutional Court immediately convened a judges' meeting and dismissed all of them. This can be seen as an unusually swift action. Since receiving the case, the Constitutional Court has consistently maintained the policy of prioritizing the 'presidential impeachment trial,' and internally, there is a consensus that the trial must proceed fairly without procedural delays.

The second hearing on the 16th can be regarded as the first proper deliberation in fact. This is because the first hearing on the 14th was stalled due to President Yoon's absence. However, it remains uncertain whether President Yoon's side, which must also respond to the investigation, can conduct a full and substantive defense.

Earlier, the National Assembly stated that among the grounds for impeachment, President Yoon's acts of rebellion would be judged as 'constitutional violations' rather than under the Criminal Act, raising interest in whether the Constitutional Court will issue a ruling on this during the hearing. President Yoon's side has opposed this, arguing that if the charges of rebellion under the Criminal Act are omitted, a significant portion of the impeachment grounds would change, requiring the National Assembly to re-deliberate and reapprove the impeachment motion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.