Seoul, Feb 10 South Korean state human rights watchdog began a meeting on Monday to discuss whether to adopt a recommendation to guarantee President Yoon Suk Yeol's right to defence during his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) convened its plenary meeting on the issue amid growing demand among Yoon's supporters that the impeached president should be guaranteed a fair trial at the Constitutional Court.
The meeting came after an NHRCK standing commissioner proposed the recommendation as part of an agenda to address the national crisis triggered by Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration on December 3 last year. But the commission failed to hold discussions on January 13 and 20 amid strong protests from supporters of liberal opposition parties.
Earlier on Monday, pro-Yoon demonstrators attempted to enter the NHRCK building in central Seoul in a bid to block protesters opposing the proposed recommendation but were scattered later after police intervened, Yonhap news agency reported.
Yoon's supporters have demanded the commission adopt the recommendation in his favour, whereas opposition parties and their supporters have come out against the move. Ahead of the meeting, ruling and opposition party lawmakers visited the commission to express their opinions on the agenda.
Earlier, on February 4, Yoon Suk Yeol stated that nothing had happened regarding his martial law decree, denying allegations that he had ordered military commanders to drag lawmakers out of parliament in an attempt to prevent them from blocking its imposition.
Yoon made this claim while attending the fifth formal hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul.
The National Assembly had voted to impeach Yoon over his shocking, albeit short-lived, imposition of martial law on December 3. He was indicted on charges of leading an insurrection and had been arrested.
Yoon was also alleged to have sent military troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting down the martial law declaration and to have planned to arrest key political figures.
"Looking into the case, nothing actually happened. But there was talk of me giving such an instruction. I feel like we are chasing the moon's shadow on a lake," Yoon said.
"You would know the true nature of this case if you viewed it with common sense," he added.
Yoon claimed that dragging lawmakers from parliament could not have been possible, as there were thousands of civilians in the National Assembly compound, and the troops had been withdrawn after martial law was lifted.
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