Constitutional Court to Question Kim Yong-hyun as Witness in Yoon Impeachment Trial Next Week... Accepts Yoon's Side Arguments

The Constitutional Court, which is currently hearing the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol, has decided to conduct the witness examination of former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun at the hearing on the 23rd. Originally, the examination was likely to be held on the 6th of next month, but the respondent, President Yoon's side, requested to move the schedule earlier, and the Constitutional Court accepted this request.

On the 16th, the second hearing of the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol was held at the Grand Bench of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Cheon Jae-hyun, the Constitutional Court spokesperson, held a briefing on the 17th and explained, "The examination date for witness Kim Yong-hyun has been set for 2:30 p.m. on the 23rd," adding, "The respondent (President Yoon) requested this yesterday, and after considering various circumstances in today's council, the decision was made." Regarding this, he explained, "According to the Constitutional Court Act, if a person fails to appear without justifiable reason, imprisonment or fines are stipulated, and the trial rules allow for detention."

Initially, the witness examination for former Minister Kim was planned for the 6th of next month, but President Yoon's side requested a change of date, which the Constitutional Court accepted. Kim Hyun-tae, commander of the 707th Special Mission Group of the Army Special Warfare Command, who was also requested by President Yoon's side, was additionally accepted as a witness.

The Constitutional Court plans to sequentially conduct witness examinations on the 23rd for former Minister Kim and Police Commissioner General Cho Ji-ho, on the 4th of next month for Army Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jin-woo and Defense Counterintelligence Command Commander Yeo In-hyung, and former National Intelligence Service First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won. Then, on the 6th of next month, witness examinations for Army Special Warfare Command Commander Kwak Jong-geun and Commander Kim will be held.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court additionally accepted President Yoon's side's request for document submission, securing documents related to the National Election Commission's security inspection held by the Presidential Office, the National Intelligence Service, and the National Cybersecurity Center. Through this, President Yoon's side is expected to emphasize again the allegations of election fraud, which they claim is the main background for the declaration of martial law.

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