Yoon's Side: "Unfair Time Limits and Advance Submission of Questions in Constitutional Court Witness Examination"

Claim: "This Could Enable Collusion for False Testimony"

The office of President Yoon Suk-yeol argued that the Constitutional Court’s limitation on witness examination time and the requirement to submit cross-examination questions a day in advance, thereby exposing them to the opposing side, is unfair.

President Yoon Suk-yeol (front row, left) listens to the testimony of former Army Special Warfare Command Commander Kwak Jong-geun, who appeared as a witness at the 6th hearing of President Yoon's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on February 6, 2025. Photo by Constitutional Court

The president’s legal team criticized the Constitutional Court’s witness examination procedures in a statement on the 8th, saying, "Most legal professionals respond that they simply cannot understand the impeachment trial’s witness examination process. We urge the restoration of fairness."

The legal team explained, "The Constitutional Court strictly limits the witness examination time to 30 minutes each for direct and cross-examination, and 15 minutes each for re-direct and re-cross examination," adding, "Since testimonies are significantly changing from before, more time is needed, but due to time constraints, it is impossible to verify the facts further."

They also claimed, "The Constitutional Court is the only court in South Korea that forces the submission of cross-examination questions a day in advance," calling it "a collusion that allows preparation for false testimony."

They stated, "The trial procedure, which forces the president’s side to disclose cross-examination questions in advance, effectively disarming them, and strictly limits witness examination time, severely restricting the right to defense, is far from fair. Holding hearings twice a week and examining three witnesses per day also makes normal preparation impossible."

Meanwhile, the 7th and 8th hearings of President Yoon’s impeachment trial are scheduled for the 11th and 13th. On the 11th, former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, National Security Office Director Shin Won-sik, 3rd Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service Baek Jong-wook, and Secretary-General of the Central Election Commission Kim Yong-bin will be called as witnesses for examination. On the 13th, witness examinations will be conducted for National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong, former Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong-sik, Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho, and Commander of the Capital Defense Command 1st Security Group Cho Sung-hyun. No further hearings are scheduled after these.