Impeachment trial against Pres. Yoon begins with legal clashes

[Anchor]

The impeachment trial procedure against President Yoon has begun today (12.27).

President Yoon appointed a representative just five hours before the trial, stating that he would first question the legality of the National Assembly's impeachment motion.

Intense confrontations are expected.

Park Young-min reports.

[Report]

President Yoon Suk Yeol submitted a power of attorney to the Constitutional Court just five hours before the first preparatory hearing.

Lawyers Bae Bo-yoon, a former constitutional researcher, and Yun Gap-geun, a former chief of the Daegu High Prosecutor's Office, joined the legal team.

They hurried to the courtroom without making any statements.

[Bae Jin-han/Lawyer/Legal Representative of President Yoon: "(So what will President Yoon's position be today?) We'll see in a bit. We're running late for the trial."]

On the other hand, the National Assembly's prosecution team emphasized the need for a "swift removal."

[Kim Yi-soo/Lawyer/Co-representative of the National Assembly's Legal Team: "The conclusion reached by the Constitutional Court through the last two impeachment trials was that the impeachment trial of the president must be concluded quickly, regardless of the position."]

Today's preparatory hearing lasted for about 40 minutes.

President Yoon's side argued that the process of declaring martial law was legitimate and claimed that the National Assembly's impeachment motion and the delivery process by the Constitutional Court were not lawful.

They requested more time, stating that they had not seen the impeachment motion documents.

[Yun Gap-geun/Lawyer/Legal Representative of President Yoon: "We were unable to prepare adequately due to the improper delivery, so we will respond in detail at the next hearing."]

In contrast, the National Assembly argued that President Yoon's declaration of martial law and the announcement of the proclamation, as well as the mobilization of military and police, were unconstitutional and illegal.

They also requested the Constitutional Court to conduct a swift review and focus on whether there was a violation of the constitution, as constitutional trials differ from criminal trials.

[Kim Jin-han/Lawyer/National Assembly's Legal Team: "We are concerned that the impeachment trial procedure may transform into a criminal trial."]

The Constitutional Court reaffirmed its policy to proceed with the impeachment trial swiftly.

[Cheong Hyung-sik/Constitutional Court Justice: "(President Yoon's side) needs to cooperate. If we see that you can do it but you are not doing it, we will impose sanctions for that."]

The Constitutional Court is scheduled to hold the second preparatory hearing on Jan. 3 at 2 PM.

KBS News, Park Young-min.