South Korea's Yoon back in court for impeachment hearing

SEOUL

South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol will get another hearing next week before judges decide on whether to formally remove him from office over his martial law decree, the country's Constitutional Court said on Feb. 13.

The attempt only lasted six hours as the opposition-led parliament voted the declaration down and later impeached him over the move.

Yoon was detained last month on insurrection charges, becoming the first sitting South Korean head of state to be arrested.

Yesterday’s hearing was widely expected to be Yoon's last before the judges go behind closed doors to deliberate upholding his impeachment.

But as proceedings wrapped up, the court said it would add another hearing on Feb. 18..

Following the trial, the process could take up to a fortnight.

Previously impeached presidents Park Geun-hye and Roh Moo-hyun had to wait 11 and 14 days, respectively, to learn their fates.

If the court upholds the impeachment, an election must be held within 60 days to choose a new president.

Much of Yoon's impeachment trial has centered on the question of whether he violated the constitution by declaring martial law, which is reserved for national emergencies or times of war.

Yoon's lawyers told reporters yesterday that his martial law declaration was "an act of governance and cannot be subject to judicial review."

Yoon also suggested last week that even if he had ordered the arrest of MPs to prevent them from voting down his decree, it would not legally matter because it had not been carried out.