Seoul, February 20 (HS): The first preliminary hearing of the criminal case against South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol began at 10 am today at the Seoul Central District Court. It lasted 13 minutes. The court fixed the date of the next hearing as March 24. During this, Yeol was present in the court. With this, Yeol became the first sitting president of the country to face criminal trial.

According to The Korea Times newspaper, the impeachment trial against Yeol has also reached its final stage. He has been convicted of rebellion during the short-lived declaration of martial law last month. This charge eliminates his immunity from prosecution as president.

The purpose of the preliminary hearing is to clarify the main disputes of the case and plan future proceedings. Yeol entered the court today wearing a dark blue suit and a red tie. Yeol's legal representatives said they would clarify their position on the charges at a future date. They also did not clarify their position on whether the case should be merged with others convicted for their alleged roles in Yeol's imposition of martial law, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. The prosecution argued against merging the cases and said it would be better to conduct the trials separately. President Yeol has been held in a detention center since mid-January.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar