Constitutional Court Selects 3 Out of 6 Requested Witnesses After Judges' Conference
"Hong Jangwon" Chosen as Witness for the Second Time
To Verify Background of Emergency Martial Law and Whether Yoon Ordered Arrests of Politicians
The Constitutional Court has selected Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former National Intelligence Service First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won, and Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho as additional witnesses for the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol.
On the 14th, the Constitutional Court announced that it had chosen Prime Minister Han and former Deputy Director Hong as witnesses for President Yoon's side, and Police Commissioner Cho as a witness for both the National Assembly and President Yoon's sides. Previously, the court had rejected a witness request for Prime Minister Han once, but accepted it after President Yoon's side reapplied. Former Deputy Director Hong testified before the court on the 4th, but President Yoon's side requested his recall at the 8th hearing held the day before, citing doubts about the credibility of his testimony. Commissioner Cho had been selected as a witness for the National Assembly side but was absent twice due to health reasons.
President Yoon's side argued that "Prime Minister Han knows better than anyone else about the cause of the current emergency martial law," which the court accepted. Former Deputy Director Hong testified during earlier impeachment trial proceedings that he directly heard the term "arrest squad" and detention plans from former Commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command Yeo In-hyung. However, President Yoon's side raised the necessity for additional witness examination, stating that former Commander Yeo testified that he never made such a request to former Deputy Director Hong. While the court accepted former Deputy Director Hong as a witness, it did not agree to President Yoon's side's demand for "unlimited time for witness examination."
Commissioner Cho is one of the key witnesses who knows whether President Yoon blocked members of the National Assembly from entering the National Assembly building during the emergency martial law, ordered the removal of lawmakers inside the building, or instructed arrests of politicians and others.
The court plans to hold the 10th hearing at 2 p.m. on the 20th, starting with the examination of Prime Minister Han as a witness. Former Deputy Director Hong will be examined at 4:30 p.m., followed by Commissioner Cho at 5:30 p.m. The court rejected President Yoon's side's witness requests for Kang Ui-gu, First Deputy Chief of the Presidential Secretariat, Park Kyung-sun, former director of Seoul Eastern Detention Center, and Shin Yong-hae, head of the Ministry of Justice Correctional Headquarters. At the 9th hearing on the 18th, the court will review written evidence and listen to each side's positions on the grounds for impeachment for two hours each.
Depending on the progress of the proceedings next week, the court is expected to set additional dates or conclude the trial after hearing final statements from both sides. If no additional witnesses are selected beyond those requested on this day, the trial may conclude on the 25th or 27th, with a ruling expected in early next month.
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