Sawt Falasteen - South Korea's suspended president attends impeachment hearing

The country was plunged into political chaos by Yoon's December 3 martial law declaration, which lasted just six hours before lawmakers voted it down.

They later impeached him, stripping him of his duties. He also became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested in a criminal probe on insurrection grounds.

Hundreds of protesters -- both for and against Yoon -- flocked to the Constitutional Court, which is holding hearings to decide whether to uphold his impeachment.

Yoon, who remains South Korea's official head of state, was driven into the building in a blue justice ministry van, AFP reporters saw, with the suspended leader possibly set to face questioning by the presiding judge, court spokesperson Cheon Jae-hyun told reporters.

Cheon added that Yoon's legal representatives have requested to call "at least 24 individuals" as witnesses, including election-related officials.

Yoon and his legal team have sought to justify his attempt to suspend civilian rule as a necessary measure due to election fraud, after the opposition won parliamentary elections by a landslide last year.

According pool reporters, Yoon appeared in court wearing a suit -- not his standard-issue prison uniform, which he has been required to wear since he was formally arrested Sunday.

Yoon's legal team said he wanted to "personally appear to explain the circumstances surrounding the declaration of martial law".

If the court rules against Yoon, he will lose the presidency and elections will be called within 60 days.

The lawyers prosecuting the case, who were selected by the parliament, told reporters before the hearing that "a prompt impeachment trial and removal of the president is the most direct path to restoring the rule of law."

Yoon stayed away from the first two hearings last week, but the trial, which could last months, will continue even if he is absent.

Yoon has also been refusing to submit to separate questioning by the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), the body in charge of the criminal probe into his martial law declaration.

It said it had attempted to compel him to attend but due to the "suspect's continued refusal to cooperate" they abandoned the efforts.

As Yoon is attending the impeachment trial, questioning him "will be difficult" on Tuesday, a CIO official told reporters.

- 'Riling public opinion' -

Yoon made his first court appearance on Saturday at a hearing on whether to extend his detention. When it was extended, hundreds of pro-Yoon protesters attacked the court building and scuffled with police officers. Dozens were arrested.

The impeached president's decision to start showing up at the Constitutional Court hearing is more about inflaming his die-hard supporters than helping the judicial process along, experts said.

"Whether it's the legal representative speaking or Yoon himself speaking it's nearly the same, it's more about riling public opinion," lawyer Kim Nam-ju told AFP.

But whatever Yoon's motives, "from the perspective of the Constitutional Court judges, hearing directly from the defendant is far more significant," he said.

Yoon's presence will allow "the judges to confirm the facts firsthand."

But even if Yoon continues showing up at the Constitutional Court, the fact that he is refusing to engage with the criminal investigation into his martial law will not work in his favour overall, said Kim.

"Refusing to comply with the warrant execution and declining to testify will gradually be considered as factors unfavourable to his case in the impeachment trial," said Kim.

"It shows they are not adhering to the legal framework."

Yoon has claimed the criminal probe is illegal and resisted arrest for weeks, vowing to "fight to the end".

Although Yoon won the presidential election in 2022, the opposition Democratic Party has a majority in parliament after winning legislative polls last year.

The Democratic Party has celebrated the president's arrest, with a top official calling it "the first step" to restoring constitutional and legal order.

H.Darwish--SF-PST