"Permission for Courtroom Filming to Be Reconsidered Upon Reapplication"
Former President Yoon Seok-yeol appeared at the criminal trial on charges of rebellion on the 14th, ten days after his dismissal, and nodded when asked, "Is your occupation former president?"
On April 14, 2025, the first criminal trial for former President Yoon Seok-yeol's charge of insurrection is held at the Seoul Central District Court, and the vehicle carrying former President Yoon is entering the court. Photo by Joint Press Corps
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25 (Presiding Judge Ji Gui-yeon) held the first formal trial of former President Yoon's rebellion case at 10 a.m. that day.
Former President Yoon appeared in court around 9:50 a.m. Wearing a dark navy suit with a red tie and his hair neatly combed back, he sat in the defendant's seat.
When the court entered at 10 a.m., former President Yoon stood up and bowed his head in greeting.
The presiding judge began the identification procedure to confirm the defendant's identity, saying, "I will confirm personal information. Date of birth is December 8, 1960, occupation is former president. Address is," to which former President Yoon replied, "Seocho 4-dong Acrovista, unit ○○."
When the judge asked if he wanted a jury trial, former President Yoon's lawyer said, "No." When the judge asked, "Is that also the defendant's intention?" former President Yoon lightly bowed his head.
On that day, former President Yoon appeared in court through the underground parking lot and did not show himself to the press cameras. Although the distance from the residence where former President Yoon stays to the Seoul Central District Court is 300 meters, the Presidential Security Service had previously requested that former President Yoon be allowed to enter directly through the underground parking lot of the courthouse for security reasons.
Meanwhile, regarding the court's refusal to allow filming inside the courtroom by the press, the court stated, "Recently, two applications for courtroom filming by media companies were submitted, but they were submitted too late, so the court could not follow procedures such as asking the defendant's opinion and therefore dismissed them," adding, "If submitted again later, we will ask the defendant's opinion and review it."
At the first hearing that day, after reading the prosecution's summary of the charges and hearing the statement from former President Yoon's side, the examination of witnesses, including Cho Seong-hyun, commander of the 1st Guard Unit of the Army Capital Defense Command, and Kim Hyung-gi, commander of the 1st Special Forces Battalion of the Special Warfare Command, is scheduled to follow.
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