Constitutional Court to hold pretrial hearing on Yoon’s impeachment as planned

The Constitutional Court said Monday it will hold the first preparatory hearing in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial this week as planned.

The hearing will be held Friday, and Yoon will be considered to have been served the necessary documents related to his trial regardless of whether he received them, as they were delivered by the postal service last Friday, the court said.

Yoon has refused to receive the documents for a week despite the court’s attempts to reach him via the postal service, in-person delivery and an electronic system.

The documents include a request for a written response as well as an order to submit the minutes of a Cabinet meeting he convened shortly before declaring martial law on Dec. 3 and the text of the martial law decree issued the same day.

“In line with precedent set by the Supreme Court, the effectiveness of the delivery comes into force when the litigation papers reach their destination,” Cheon Jae-hyeon, a court spokesperson, told reporters at a regular press briefing.

Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly on Dec. 14 over his short-lived imposition of martial law and awaits a decision by the Constitutional Court on whether to unseat or reinstate him.

With his presidential powers suspended, he has ignored all notices sent to his residence and office requesting his cooperation with the impeachment trial and an investigation into insurrection charges raised against him.

The court’s justices decided at a meeting Thursday to consider the documents as having been served in the event Yoon continues to refuse them.

The documents were delivered to the presidential residence next day.