South Korea's impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, will not attend the first hearing of the trial to determine whether he is removed him from office or reinstated, due to concerns about his safety, Yonhap News reported on Sunday,

South Korea’s suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol will not attend the first hearing of his impeachment trial next week because of safety concerns, his lawyer said on Sunday. Yoon has been holed up in the presidential residence and protected by an elite guard force since being suspended and impeached last month following a short-lived declaration of martial law that plunged the country into political chaos.

South Korea's Presidential Security Service chief resigned Friday and acting President Choi Sang-mok accepted it. President Yoon Suk Yeol remains in his fortified residence as law enforcement seeks to arrest him.