Yoon Sukyeol's 'Insurrection Leader' Trial to Continue at Least Until Year-End

Court Schedules 28 Hearings Through Year-End
Yoon Compares Martial Law to a Knife: "Is Using a Knife Always Murder?"

The trial of former President Yoon Sukyeol, who is facing charges of leading an insurrection, is expected to continue at least until the end of this year.

The 25th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Ji Guyoun) held the second hearing for former President Yoon’s insurrection case on the 21st and pre-scheduled a total of 28 trial dates.

Former President Yoon Sukyeol is talking with his legal team at the second criminal trial hearing on charges of leading an insurrection held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 21st. Photo by Yonhap News

The hearings will be held three to four times a month. In December, three sessions have been scheduled for the 4th, 15th, and 22nd. The court explained, "We need to hold about three hearings every two weeks."

The court also stated that, in addition to the dates confirmed after hearing from both the prosecution and former President Yoon’s side, about ten more sessions will be added to the schedule.

The next hearing is set for May 12. Testimonies will be heard from Park Junghwan, Chief of Staff of the Special Warfare Command, and Oh Sangbae, Aide-de-camp to the Capital Defense Command.

It is being evaluated that, since most of the parties requiring witness examination in this case have already been identified, it was possible to pre-schedule hearings through the end of the year.

On this day, former President Yoon stated in person, "What I want to say is that martial law, in itself, is fundamentally value-neutral and is merely a legal instrument."

Former President Yoon compared martial law to a knife, saying, "A knife can be used for cooking, chopping wood for firewood, or performing surgery on a sick patient, but it can also be used to commit crimes such as threats, injury, or murder. Just because someone used a knife, you cannot simply conclude it was murder. Such a simplistic approach should not be taken."

Meanwhile, as the court accepted the media’s request to film inside the courtroom on this day, images and videos of former President Yoon entering the courtroom and sitting in the defendant’s seat have been recorded. This is the first time that photos and videos of former President Yoon sitting in the defendant’s seat in a criminal trial have been made public.