Impeachment Trial Heading to Final Station... Yoon's 10th Hearing Tomorrow

The Constitutional Court will hold the 10th hearing on President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial on the 20th. Instead of granting the request from President Yoon's side to postpone the hearing date, the court changed the time from 2 PM to 3 PM, reaffirming its intention to complete the witness examination procedures on the same day. Since the evidence investigation and the parties' position summaries will be completed and the three witnesses requested by President Yoon's side will take the stand, there is an expectation that the impeachment trial is approaching its final stage.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is attending the '8th Hearing on the Impeachment Trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol' held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on February 13, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps

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Moon Hyung-bae, Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, explained the reason for denying the postponement request by saying, "Considering the time gap between President Yoon's criminal trial held in the morning of the 20th and the impeachment trial, as well as the fact that the 10th hearing involves examining the three witnesses requested by the respondent."

At the 9th hearing held on the 17th, the National Assembly side argued the illegality of the emergency martial law, while President Yoon's side emphasized the theory of election fraud, continuing the confrontation. In particular, when the prosecution's testimony records of Police Chief Jo Ji-ho containing circumstances of President Yoon's orders were disclosed in court, Yoon's defense attorney strongly protested and left the courtroom.

The court requested both sides to summarize the written evidence investigation and the claims regarding the grounds for impeachment, based on the contents of hearings 1 through 8. The National Assembly side pointed out the procedural and substantive illegality of the martial law based on testimonies from military commanders, cabinet members, investigative agencies, and the National Assembly, urging the swift removal of President Yoon. On the other hand, President Yoon's side argued that the declaration of martial law was carried out according to lawful procedures and was a high-level political act by the president. They also spent considerable time raising suspicions of 'election fraud,' claiming that the deployment of the military to the Central Election Commission was to inspect the election management system.

During the hearing, the National Assembly side disclosed part of the suspect interrogation record of Chief Jo as 'evidence to prove the grounds for impeachment.' According to the interrogation record, Chief Jo stated, "During the emergency martial law on December 3, when I answered the phone, the president said to me, 'Chief Jo! Arrest all the lawmakers entering the National Assembly. Detain them. It's illegal.'" He also testified that the same order was given during five subsequent phone calls. Testimonies from former Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jin-woo and former Defense Counterintelligence Command Commander Yeo In-hyung were also mentioned.

In response, Yoon's defense attorney Cho Dae-hyun said, "Unless the respondent (President Yoon) agrees, if the credibility has not been impeached through cross-examination, it cannot be used as evidence," and requested to exclude it from the evidence investigation. When Acting Chief Justice Moon said, "I think the objection period has passed," and rejected the request, Attorney Cho left the courtroom.

Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae of the Constitutional Court and other justices are attending the 9th hearing of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on February 18, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps

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At the 10th hearing on the 20th, Prime Minister Han Deok-su and former National Intelligence Service First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won will take the stand. Additional testimonies regarding the emergency martial law cabinet meeting and orders to arrest politicians are expected. However, Police Chief Jo has again submitted a letter stating that he is unable to attend due to health reasons. The Constitutional Court has issued a warrant for his compulsory summons and requested the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office to execute it.

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