Yoon's legal representatives said on Sunday that the president cannot attend such hearings unless "issues related to safety and security" are properly handled.
"The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) in cooperation with police authorities continues to try to illegally apprehend Yoon with an invalid arrest warrant, raising concerns about his personal safety and possible clashes," said one of his lawyers. "Once those safety concerns are addressed, he will attend at any time," he added.
After determining the scope of proceedings in its preliminary hearings for deliberations on Yoon's impeachment case over his botched martial law debacle last month, the court decided to hold five hearings, with the possibility of additional sessions. They will be held twice a week until early February, starting with the one on Tuesday.
As the court has pledged to swiftly wrap up the case, even before the maximum 180 days allowed to deliberate and decide whether to uphold the National Assembly's decision to impeach him on Dec. 14 or to reinstate him, these hearings are expected to conclude by late February or early March, with a final verdict anticipated by early April at the latest.
But it remains to be seen as Yoon has insisted that the full 180-day period be guaranteed, in an apparent bid to drag out his trial.
In tandem with Yoon's trial, the court is also set to proceed with the impeachment trial of former Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, with the first public hearing in preparation for Han's trial scheduled for Monday.
The first attempt to arrest Yoon on Jan. 3 by CIO investigators failed after an hours-long standoff with Yoon's security personnel and soldiers blocking their entry to his residence.
With the extension of an arrest warrant for Yoon early last week, the CIO is expected to make another attempt before it expires, while mobilizing about 1,000 police officers in cooperation with The National Office of Investigation (NOI).
Such a warrant is typically valid for a week, but the CIO reportedly secured an exceptionally lengthy period, lasting for a couple of weeks until just before the Lunar New Year holiday.
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