THE GUARDIAN
South Korea’s Constitutional Court opened the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday over his failed martial law bid, but quickly adjourned the first hearing after the suspended leader didn’t show up.
Yoon’s December 3 power grab plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades, after he directed soldiers to storm parliament in an unsuccessful attempt to stop lawmakers voting down his suspension of civilian rule.
He was impeached soon after and suspended from duty, but has gone to ground in his residence since, refusing summonses from investigators probing him on insurrection charges and using his presidential security team to resist arrest.
The trial’s first of five hearings began at 2:00 pm (0500 GMT) but lasted just minutes with Yoon not in attendance, the court’s spokesperson told AFP.
Although his failure to attend — which his team have blamed on purported safety concerns — forced a procedural adjournment, the hearings will continue without Yoon, with the next set for Thursday.
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