Anchor: The chief of the National Police Agency testified at President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial after declining two earlier requests, but refused to answer most questions. During the proceedings, Yoon’s lawyers questioned the credibility of his earlier statements to prosecutors.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.

Report: Cho Ji-ho, the suspended commissioner general of the National Police Agency, appeared as a witness at President Yoon Suk Yeol’s tenth impeachment hearing at the Constitutional Court on Thursday. 

The police chief declined two previous requests to testify, citing health concerns due to blood cancer.

However, Cho refused to answer most questions from Yoon’s representatives as well as those of the National Assembly, saying the matters are mentioned in his own indictment in an ongoing criminal case. 

He would not answer questions about efforts to block access to the National Assembly during martial law or the alleged attempt to arrest politicians.

The police chief did say, however, that he was questioned by prosecutors in the presence of an attorney and confirmed that he signed and sealed the prosecution’s investigation record, in which he stated that Yoon ordered the arrest of lawmakers on the night of December 3, when the country was under martial law.

At the hearing, Yoon’s defense team cast doubt on the credibility of that testimony, with one of the president’s lawyers, Lee Dong-chan, asking Cho whether he became delirious during the interrogation. 

After saying he understood that Cho’s health worsened at that time, Lee asked Cho if his statements to the prosecution were based on a clear memory of what happened on December 3.

The police chief replied that he did not suffer delirium but did have difficulty focusing due to exhaustion after the long hours of questioning.

The Constitutional Court plans to conclude Yoon’s impeachment trial Tuesday and reveal as early as mid-March whether it will uphold the National Assembly’s motion to impeach him. 
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.