MK sport fourth from top right, attends his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on January 21, 2025.?Photo: VCG" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-01-21/5377353c-0ebe-4e8a-8a4d-ff03e155973b.jpeg" />

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, fourth from top right, attends his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on January 21, 2025. Photo: VCG

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the constitutional court's hearing of his impeachment trial on Tuesday, denying all charges relevant to his martial law imposition. It marked the first time in the country's modern history that an impeached president attended the court hearing in person, Xinhua reported.

Yoon arrived at the court in a convoy escorted by the Presidential Security Service from the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, just south of the capital, where he has been held in custody since last Wednesday. At 2 pm, he entered the courtroom, dressed in a suit and red tie, and sat waiting for the eight justices to arrive for the third hearing of the trial deliberating his impeachment over his December 3 declaration of martial law, according to Yonhap News. 

Yoon told the hearing that special forces troops sent to parliament on December 3 were not there to disable the legislature or prevent it from blocking his martial law because he knew such an action would have led to an indefensible crisis. His lawyers outlined arguments in defense of Yoon's martial law declaration, saying it was meant to sound the alarm over abuses committed by the opposition Democratic Party, Reuters reported. 

Yoon appeared in court because continuing to remain silent is no longer a viable option, Lü Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula issue at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. 

Court appearance on Tuesday may be just an initial step, with several more rounds of legal back-and-forth to come in the impeachment proceedings. Given Yoon's legal background, he and his defense team will likely make utmost efforts to secure a relatively favorable outcome in court, Lü said.

As Yoon's impeachment trial progresses, tensions between the ruling and opposition parties are likely to escalate. Political fragmentation is expected to deepen, making the situation more complex and unpredictable, Zheng Jiyong, director of the Center for Korean Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Global Times.

The Korean Times reported on Monday that far-right YouTubers and media outlets have amplified conspiracy theories about Chinese interference in Korea's elections, even citing baseless claims to support President Yoon's narrative. The reported said that during the impeachment trial on January 16, Bae Jin-han, a lawyer representing the president, claimed, "The National Election Commission's (NEC) password '12345' for its electronic system appears to be a connection code between China's central and local governments, as if it were designed to grant access through China." 

Zheng said that hyping up the China factor for political manipulation is a typical tactic of South Korea's far-right forces, who often use such rhetoric to justify their actions. However, this approach is unwise and outdated.

The expert said that China has already expressed its clear opposition to hyping Chinese elements in South Korea's domestic politics. Yet, some in South Korea continue to make sensational narratives on topics related to China with far-fetched reasons, unjustly dragging China into their affairs and tarnishing its image. This behavior is irresponsible and detrimental to bilateral relations.

In response to Yoon's address to the nation on December 12, 2024, in which he mentioned the cases of Chinese nationals threatening South Korea's national security, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that "We will not comment on the ROK's domestic affairs, but we absolutely oppose the ROK side associating its domestic affairs with Chinese elements."