South Korea's Yoon back in court for impeachment hearing

South Korea's Yoon back in court for impeachment hearing

South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol attended what could be his last impeachment hearing on Thursday before judges decide whether to formally remove him from office over his martial law decree.

The former prosecutor has remained defiant throughout weeks of hearings at Seoul's Constitutional Court, blaming a "malicious" opposition for his December bid to suspend civilian rule.

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.

Thursday's hearing was widely expected -- but not officially confirmed -- to be Yoon's last before the judges go behind closed doors to deliberate upholding his impeachment.

Prosecutors said the "time was ripe" for the case to be decided and they would "humbly await the outcome of the impeachment trial".

But Yoon's lawyer Yoon Kap-keun told the hearing that the ousted president's trial "continues to be conducted in an unlawful and unfair manner".

His legal team also warned they would "make a serious decision" if that persists, though they did not specify what action would be taken. 

- 'Unanimous ruling' expected -

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.

"Many legal scholars and experts agree that a unanimous ruling in favour of impeachment will be made by the Constitutional Court judges," Kim Hyun-jung, a researcher at the Korea University Institute of Law, told AFP.

But experts also warn that political wrangling could hold up the trial. 

Prominent Yoon supporters have called for more hearings.

An additional judge could also be approved to the Constitutional Court's nine-member bench, which is currently one member short.

Much of Yoon's impeachment trial has centred 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 on Thursday 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.

The suspended president's supporters have gathered outside the court throughout his weeks-long trial.

Some have held "Stop the Steal" signs -- borrowing US President Donald Trump's rhetoric to support unproven claims that recent South Korean elections were manipulated by shadowy foreign forces.

Yoon's legal team announced it would officially launch a "citizen defense team" of supporters seeking to "save" him and have him reinstated.

According to the lawyers, 15,000 people have applied to join the team.

Yoon is also facing a separate criminal trial on insurrection charges, for which he faces a prison sentence or the death penalty.

bur-hs-oho/lb

Originally published as South Korea's Yoon back in court for impeachment hearing