S. Korea's court to hold final hearing of Yoon's impeachment trial on Feb. 25

SEOUL, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's constitutional court will hold the 11th and final hearing of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial on Feb. 25.

The court's acting chief justice said during the 10th hearing Thursday that the next hearing will be held at 2:00 p.m. local time on Feb. 25 when justices will listen to comprehensive arguments from legal representatives of Yoon and the National Assembly and the final statement from Yoon.

To attend the 10th hearing, Yoon entered the courtroom at about 3:00 p.m. local time (0600 GMT), but he left some five minutes later.

Yoon's lawyer said the impeached president believed that it would be inappropriate for him to watch the impeached prime minister, Han Duck-soo, testify in the courtroom.

Han said in the hearing that all the cabinet members were worried and attempted to dissuade Yoon from declaring martial law, contradicting the former defense minister's earlier testimony that some members agreed to it.

A cabinet meeting of some ministers, which Han described as not normal, was hastily held just before Yoon's martial law declaration.

Yoon re-appeared in the court during the testimonies of Hong Jang-won, former first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, and Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the National Police Agency.

Before coming to the constitutional court, Yoon attended the first preparatory hearing of his criminal trial on the charge of leading an insurrection, becoming the first sitting president to stand criminal trial.

If convicted of the insurrection ringleader, Yoon could face death penalty or life imprisonment.

Yoon was apprehended in the presidential office on Jan. 15 and was indicted under detention on Jan. 26 as a suspected ringleader of insurrection.

Yoon declared an emergency martial law on the night of Dec. 3 last year, but it was repealed by the opposition-led National Assembly hours later.

The motion to impeach Yoon was passed through the National Assembly on Dec. 14 last year and was delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days, during which his presidency is suspended.■