Court Denies Filming Requests
Former President Yoon's First Trial
Defendant's Seat Appearance to Remain Private
Former Presidents Park and Lee's Appearances Were Made Public
The first formal criminal trial of former President Yoon Seok-yeol is just two days away, but photos and videos of former President Yoon sitting in the defendant's seat are not expected to be released.
According to the legal community on the 12th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25 (Chief Judge Ji Gui-yeon) decided the day before not to accept media requests for filming inside the courtroom for former President Yoon's first formal trial scheduled for the 14th. The court did not provide a separate explanation for the denial.
Former President Yoon Suk-yeol is greeting supporters as he leaves the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and moves to his private residence in Seocho-dong on the 11th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju
According to the Supreme Court regulations on courtroom attendance and filming, the presiding judge may grant permission for filming inside the courtroom if the defendant consents. However, even without the defendant's consent, permission may be granted if it is deemed substantially in the public interest.
Accordingly, during the first formal trials of former President Park Geun-hye in May 2017 for the state manipulation scandal and former President Lee Myung-bak in May the following year for bribery and embezzlement, images of them sitting in the defendant's seat were publicly released by the media. At that time, the court reportedly permitted filming after considering the public interest, the national attention on the cases, and the importance of the matters.
Meanwhile, the court has decided to allow former President Yoon to enter the courtroom through an underground passage in private upon his request when attending the first hearing on the 14th.
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