dpa
Seoul
The South Korean Constitutional Court on Tuesday was supposed to begin the impeachment trial of suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol, who caused a furore by issuing a short-lived martial law decree last month.
But the top court adjourned the session after meeting for just four minutes and postponed the trial’s official start because Yoon failed to show up, the country’s Yonhap news agency reported.
The trial is now scheduled to formally kick off on Thursday. If Yoon does not appear again, it will continue without him. Yoon’s lawyers said he did not attend Tuesday’s session due to security concerns. He has been out of sight at his Seoul residence, a large compound protected by high walls and guarded by dozens of presidential security service employees. By staying holed up he has so far successfully defended himself against several arrest attempts by South Korea’s anti-corruption agency.
The agency’s investigators are planning another arrest attempt this week.
