Yoon Kap-keun, right, President Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyer, speaks to reporters during a press conference in southern Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol affirmed that he will abide by the Constitutional Court's ruling on his impeachment trial, regardless of whether it upholds the National Assembly's decision to impeach him, acknowledging that he has no alternative but to accept the judgment, his lawyers said Thursday.

Yoon Kap-keun and Seok Dong-hyeon, lawyers representing the president, told foreign media reporters, "Given that the Constitutional Court's decision is final, once the impeachment ruling is made, there is no way to reject it."

They added that the president is committed to attending upcoming court hearings, but emphasized that he will do so only after the legal issues raised by his defense team are resolved.

"The scheduling of the president's hearing attendance is dependent on the ongoing developments in the Constitutional Court, such as the application of Article 32 of the Constitutional Court Act, and questions about the applicability of the act itself," lawyer Yoon said.

Article 32 of the Korean Constitutional Court Act clearly outlines the qualifications and appointment process of justices.

"Once these matters are settled, along with the ongoing controversy over the appointment of Constitutional Court judges and issues related to acting authorities, the president will attend the court hearings," the lawyer said, stressing that while the exact date cannot be determined at this time, the president could attend multiple hearings.

The legal counsels also said Yoon is concerned he may not achieve "the intended purpose of the Dec. 3rd emergency martial law."

"The president is worried about not being able to achieve the intended purpose. He is worried that he might fail to help people understand the thought process leading to such a decision," the counsel said. "Still, the president hopes everything will be resolved with dignity and ultimately become a pivotal moment in Korea's development."

He said Yoon is still at the presidential residence, dismissing rumors suggesting that he fled to avoid arrest.

Regarding the president's health, he said, "I am not a doctor, so I can't say for certain, but judging by his appearance, he seems to be in good health."

Yoon Kap-keun, right, President Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyer, speaks to reporters during a press conference in southern Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Anna J. Park

Furthermore, the president's legal team stands resolute in its opposition to what it calls the "illegal execution of a detention warrant" sought by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO).

"President Yoon's basic stance over the CIO's arrest attempt is that he cannot accept the illegal judicial procedures, as he is the guardian of the law. This would create a dangerous precedent and could lead to the collapse of the rule of law in the Republic of Korea," the lawyer said.

He added that while Korea's criminal procedural law prohibits broad interpretations, the three judges who granted the detention warrant opted for such interpretations instead of strictly adhering to the text.

The main gate of the presidential residence in Yongsan district, central Seoul, is obstructed by a large bus, Thursday. Yonhap

While the CIO has expressed its firm intent to secure Yoon's custody through a second execution of the detention warrant, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has communicated to the Presidential Security Service (PSS) that the 55th Security Brigade, a military unit assigned to the PSS, should not be deployed in operations aimed at blocking the president's arrest.

In response, the PSS is said to have accepted this position.

According to the defense ministry, Acting Minister of National Defense Kim Seon-ho, conveyed the statement to the PSS earlier this month that it would be inappropriate to use soldiers to block the enforcement of the arrest warrant issued by the CIO. He also instructed the head of the 55th Security Brigade to avoid any physical clashes with the police.

A defense ministry official confirmed that the PSS acknowledged the message and is expected to take appropriate action.