Roh Moo-hyun not to appear at the first court hearing on impeachment

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Roh Moo-hyun not to appear at the first court hearing on impeachment

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun will not attend the first court hearing on his impeachment scheduled for next week, his top defense lawyer announced Wednesday.

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South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun will not attend the first court hearing on his impeachment scheduled for next week, his top defense lawyer announced Wednesday.

Moon Jae-in, the head of Roh's defense team, said the presidenthas accepted his lawyers' suggestion not to appear at the first hearing on next Tuesday, reported the South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

Roh was suspended from office by an unprecedented impeachment motion passed by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on March 12.

Last Thursday, the Constitutional Court, which has the final say on the impeachment, asked Roh to attend the first public hearing, promising to provide him with the most honorable treatment if he is to participate.

Yet Roh's defense team has continued to advise him that the president is not legally bound to appear at the court hearing.

If Roh is absent at the first hearing, the court will be compelled to set another date for his presence, and if he refuses to honor the second request, the court will then proceed without asking for his appearance again.

Without Roh's attendance, the legal proceedings may see some delay. The court has 180 days from the submission of the impeachment motion to make a final ruling on it.

Source: Xinhua

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