 "South Korea's Yoon's fate hangs in balance as impeachment hearing concludes")
South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, had his final impeachment hearing on Tuesday before judges decided whether to legally remove him from office following his catastrophic martial law proclamation.
Yoon’s brief suspension of civilian authority threw democratic South Korea into political upheaval, and he was ousted from office by parliament in December.
The 64-year-old has been in custody since being detained last month on allegations of rebellion, for which he may face life in jail or the death penalty. His trial started last week.
After weeks of tense impeachment proceedings at Seoul’s Constitutional Court, Tuesday’s court session will be his last before the eight justices determine his fate behind closed doors.
The proceedings began at 2:00 p.m. (0500 GMT), although Yoon was not there, according to an AFP correspondent in the courtroom.
Several politicians from his ruling People Power Party were there, however.
Yoon is set to make a last argument in his defence, with representatives of parliament allowed time to outline their case for his dismissal.
Outside the court, pro-Yoon supporters screamed, “Drop the impeachment!”
Some carried placards condemning the Chinese Communist Party and North Korea, which some of Yoon’s followers have falsely claimed of intervening in recent South Korean elections to favour the opposition.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOthers held posters that read “Stop the Steal,” mirroring US President Donald Trump’s phoney charges of voting fraud after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
A verdict is widely expected in mid-March.
Previously impeached presidents Park Geun-hye and Roh Moo-hyun had to wait 11 and 14 days, respectively, to learn their fates.
If Yoon is removed from office, the country must hold a fresh presidential election within 60 days.
‘Legislative dictatorship’
Much of the impeachment trial has centred on whether Yoon violated the constitution by declaring martial law, which is reserved for national emergencies or times of war.
The opposition has accused the suspended president of taking the extraordinary measure without proper justification.
Yoon’s lawyer Kim Hong-il insisted last week that “the declaration of martial law was not intended to paralyse the state”.
Instead, he said, it was meant to “alert the public to the national crisis caused by the legislative dictatorship of the dominant opposition party, which had crippled the administration”.
Yoon’s lawyers have also argued that his martial law declaration was necessary to investigate unsubstantiated allegations of electoral fraud in last year’s parliamentary poll.
A survey by polling company Realmeter released on Monday said 52 percent of respondents support Yoon’s formal removal from office.
But a Gallup poll, released last week, showed 60 percent in favour and 34 percent against his impeachment.
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