Sawt Falasteen - South Korea's ousted PM says he tried to stop martial law decree

Han Duck-soo was impeached by parliament as acting president and prime minister in December over alleged obstruction of the trial that could formally remove Yoon from office for his martial law decree.

He appeared before that trial for the first time on Thursday, telling Seoul's Constitutional Court he had "expressed my opposition" to Yoon's decision to suspend civilian rule on the night of December 3.

Han said he and most of his fellow cabinet members "believed such a declaration would put South Korea in serious difficulty" and that he recalled them "being concerned and trying to dissuade it".

The court said later on Thursday the final hearing will be held on the 25th.

The judges will then deliberate behind closed doors, with elections required within 60 days if Yoon is removed.

Yoon walked out of the court just five minutes after proceedings began on Thursday, according to a pool report.

His lawyer Yoon Kap-keun told reporters the ousted president felt it was "inappropriate" for him to sit in the same court room with Han "or for the president to watch the prime minister testify".

"It is not good for the nation's prestige," his lawyer quoted Yoon as saying.

Yoon returned later to hear the testimony of former senior intelligence official Hong Jang-won, seen as a key figure in the decision to declare martial law.

Hong has claimed to be in possession of a memo containing a list of names of individuals Yoon ordered arrested during the night of the martial law declaration, including the leaders of the opposition and Yoon's own ruling party.

"I will do my best to recount everything as I remember it," Hong told reporters before the hearing.

Court footage showed Yoon shouting at Hong, accusing him of plotting his impeachment.

Given the opportunity to speak by one of the court's eight judges, Yoon acknowledged that it was "unnecessary and wrong" to try to track the locations of politicians on the night of the decree but also said he was doing it simply to "monitor movements" and not to "arrest" them.

The head of South Korea's National Police Agency, who is also on trial on insurrection charges related to the martial law decree, is another witness.

- Courting controversy -

The impeachment hearing was Yoon's second of the day. He also appeared in court in the morning to answer charges of insurrection, becoming South Korea's first sitting president to stand trial in a criminal case.

The 64-year-old former prosecutor has been behind bars since he was arrested last month on those charges, for which he could be sentenced to life in prison -- or face the death penalty -- if convicted.

Yoon attended that hearing but did not speak, an AFP journalist in the packed courtroom said.

Prosecutors have accused the suspended president of being the "ringleader of an insurrection".

They argued on Thursday against releasing him, saying he could try to "influence or persuade those involved in the case".

Yoon's lawyer Kim Hong-il condemned the "illegal probe", telling the court the "investigating body has no jurisdiction".

"The declaration of martial law was not intended to paralyse the state," Kim said.

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".

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.

The crisis has plunged South Korea into months of political turmoil with protests, two impeachments and a surge of online disinformation.

Yoon also sent a message rallying his supporters on Thursday, urging "the older and established generations to work together with the younger generation".

"If that happens, I will be able to swiftly return to my duties and lead South Korea with the power of generational integration," Yoon said, according to his lawyers.

T.Samara--SF-PST