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South Korea's Park Geun-hye Refuses to Testify in Impeachment Trial

Nine judges of South Korea's Constitutional Court sit during the first hearing arguments for South Korean President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 3, 2017.

Nine judges of South Korea's Constitutional Court sit during the first hearing arguments for South Korean President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 3, 2017.

Photographer: Kim Hong-Ji/AP Photo
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (KIM TONG-HYUNG)
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Seoul, South Korea (AP) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye refused to testify Tuesday in the impeachment trial that will decide her future, prompting the prosecutors to question why she has publicly denied the charges of corruption but will not do so before the court.

After Park's refusal, the Constitutional Court delayed the start of oral arguments and asked her to testify on Thursday, when some of her current and former aides are also scheduled to testify. The court cannot force her to appear but can proceed without her if she refuses twice to appear at the hearings.