South Korea's former Prez Yoon skips insurrection trial hearing for 2nd time

Seoul, July 17 (IANS) South Korea's former President Yoon Suk Yeol did not attend his insurrection trial for the second time on Thursday, saying he will boycott all future hearings unless special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team is removed from the courtroom.

Yoon is currently in custody at the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, just south of the capital, after a court issued a warrant to arrest him last Thursday over charges related to his attempt to impose martial law in December.

A trial on separate charges of insurrection and abuse of power related to the martial law bid has already been underway, and the 11th hearing opened at the Seoul Central District Court earlier in the day.

"Unless the special counsel is removed from the hearings, it is difficult for the defendant to be present," one of Yoon's lawyers said, accusing Cho's team of seriously violating the defendant's rights through an "illegal" investigation.

Yoon was also absent from the 10th hearing last week, which came only hours after he was placed in custody. It was the first time he had skipped his trial, which he blamed on his health, reports Yonhap news agency.

The prosecution asked the court to issue a warrant to bring him in by force, noting the defendant has an obligation to attend his hearings and has repeatedly skipped them.

The court asked Yoon's lawyers to convince him to appear.

"If he is unable to come due to poor health, he must submit the relevant papers, and if he wants to challenge the constitutionality of the special counsel, he must do so under different laws," the court said.

--IANS

int/sd/