According to reports, Yoon left the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, south of Seoul, in a convoy escorted by the Presidential Security Service and entered the court through a subway parking lot, away from public view.

He is the first South Korean president to attend his own impeachment trial, as then-presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye were not present at theirs.

Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly last Dec. 14 and remains suspended from office while an investigation is underway into charges that he led an insurrection and abused his power through his declaration of martial law.

The Constitutional Court has 180 days from the day it received the case on December 14 to uphold the parliamentary impeachment and permanently remove him from office, or dismiss it and reinstate him.

If Yoon’s impeachment is upheld, the country will be required to hold early presidential elections within 60 days.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the court to show their support for the president, holding signs reading “impeachment invalid.”

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