Police officers stand guard at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Sunday, one day before the court holds the first formal hearing in President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial in connection to his short-lived imposition of martial law. (Yonhap)
Police officers stand guard at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Sunday, one day before the court holds the first formal hearing in President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial in connection to his short-lived imposition of martial law. (Yonhap)

The legal representatives of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday demanded the Constitutional Court exclude one of its eight justices in trials over Yoon's failed martial law bid last month.

Yoon's lawyers made the request as they say Constitutional Court Justice Jeong Gye-seon will make it difficult for the court to come up with a fair ruling due to her progressive inclinations.

Judge Jeong served as chairman of a Korean law research society composed of progressive judges and she showed her "prediction" for the trials in a confirmation hearing on her appointment held at the National Assembly last month, the lawyers said.

In response, the Constitutional Court said it will convene a meeting of justices on Tuesday.

The court can reject the request if it is apparently aimed at delaying the trials.

Last month, the opposition-controlled National Assembly voted in favor of the appointment of three Constitutional Court judges -- Jeong and Ma Eun-hyuk, both nominated by the main opposition Democratic Party, and Cho Han-chang, recommended by the ruling People Power Party.

Acting President and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok approved the appointment for two of them, Jeong and Cho.

Yoon's legal team also filed an objection against the court's decision to set Yoon's first date for pleading on Jan. 14. They said the trials on impeached acting President Han Duck-soo should be held first.

The court earlier said it would start oral arguments for the trial on Tuesday, with five hearing sessions scheduled until Feb. 4.

The team said Yoon will not attend the first formal hearing in the impeachment trial as investigators are seeking to detain him for questioning in a separate case related to his botched martial law imposition. Their first attempt to detain him on Jan. 3 failed due to a standoff with Yoon's security guards.

Previous acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was impeached after refusing to appoint the justices to the Constitutional Court.

Yoon made a martial law declaration on Dec. 3, citing removal of anti-state forces, which lasted only six hours before lawmakers voted to lift the measure at the National Assembly. The Assembly impeached Yoon on Dec. 14 and accused him of insurrection (Yonhap)