South Korea: Final hearing in President Yoon's impeachment trial begins

More than two and a half months after South Korea briefly declared martial law, the Constitutional Court began the final hearing in President Yoon Suk Yeol 's impeachment trial on Tuesday before deciding whether he should be permanently removed from power or returned to power. Yoon Suk Yeol was not present at the start of the 11th and final hearing, which began at 2:00 p.m. (0500 GMT).

Outside, Yoon Suk Yeol supporters gathered, shouting “Stop impeachment!” and holding signs hostile to North Korea and the Chinese Communist Party , which the president’s camp accuses without evidence of rigging last year’s legislative elections to favor the opposition. South Korea has been in political chaos since the former star prosecutor ended civilian rule in a matter of hours on Dec. 3 in a coup that was quickly thwarted by lawmakers.

Also read : In South Korea, the resounding fall of Yoon Suk Yeol, inquisitorial president

Successively suspended by the National Assembly, arrested - a first for a reigning head of state in the country - then placed in detention, Yoon Suk Yeol has been on trial since February 20 by the Seoul Central Court for " insurrection " , a crime punishable by the death penalty. The eight judges of the Constitutional Court will retire this Tuesday to deliberate. They will have to choose between ratifying the impeachment motion voted by Parliament and thus permanently dismissing the conservative leader, or reinstating him in his functions.

The two former presidents who found themselves in this situation, Park Geun-hye (impeached and imprisoned) and Roh Moo-hyun (re-inaugurated), learned their fates 11 and 14 days after the end of the debates, respectively. If Yoon Suk Yeol is impeached, a new presidential election would have to be held within 60 days. This outcome requires the favorable votes of six judges, with a verdict expected in mid-March. Lawyers for Yoon Suk Yeol, 64, have a final opportunity on Tuesday to defend his declaration of martial law , while representatives of Parliament will be able to argue for his impeachment.

On the evening of his shock announcement, the president had expressed his desire to protect the country from "North Korean communist forces" and to "eliminate elements hostile to the state" . Martial law can be used in the event of a major national emergency, such as a war. For the opposition, the president has taken extraordinary and unjustified measures. Kim Hong-il, one of his lawyers, believes that the suspension of civilian rule was "not intended to paralyze the state" . According to him, its objective was "to alert the population to the national crisis caused by the legislative dictatorship of the dominant opposition party, which had hampered the administration" .