South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is open to appearing in a court trial to determine the validity of his recent impeachment and remains confident that his brief declaration of martial law was not an act of insurrection, his attorney said.
“If the situation requires him to express his views in person, he is willing to do so without hesitation,” Seok Dong-hyeon told reporters Thursday in Seoul. “The president is apologetic to the public, but he has a clear and unequivocal position on issues that have become controversial.”
If Yoon stands in court himself, he’d be the first president to do so among three that have been impeached in South Korea’s history. His appearance and testimony have the potential to rally his supporters and further antagonize critics. Hours after Yoon’s announcement of martial law on Dec. 3, protesters massed on Seoul’s streets.
Yoon was impeached last week by an opposition-controlled parliament that condemned his declaration of martial law as treasonous. The Constitutional Court is now deliberating on the parliamentary motion in a legal review that could end as late as June.
Six judges currently sit on the Constitutional Court and the opposition Democratic Party is seeking to fill three more seats that are currently vacant. Confirmation of the impeachment motion requires at least six votes in favor.
Political pressure is building in South Korea for the constitutional justices to formally remove Yoon, whose martial law declaration was the first such order in more than 40 years. Yoon retracted his decree hours later after the National Assembly voted it down.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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