Not Underground but Aboveground... Yoon Sukyeol Makes First Public Court Appearance

The Third Trial for Leading a Rebellion
A Stern Expression... Silent to Reporters
Witness Examinations for Park Junghwan and Oh Sangbae
Prosecutors Summon Kim Keonhee

Former President Yoon Sukyeol arrived at the Seoul Central District Court at 9:54 a.m. on the 12th in a black car to attend the third trial for charges of leading a rebellion. Wearing a dark navy suit and a wine-colored tie, Yoon was surrounded by about ten bodyguards. With a stern expression and his lips tightly pressed together, he stared straight ahead as he walked toward the courthouse.

Former President Yoon Sukyeol appeared at the 3rd trial for charges of leading a rebellion and abuse of authority obstructing the exercise of rights, held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on the morning of the 12th. He is moving while responding to questions from reporters. 2025.05.12 Photo by Joint Press Corps

Yoon did not respond to reporters' questions about his opinion on the declaration of martial law and proceeded directly to the courtroom. Reporters also asked whether he considered the allegations of Kim Keonhee's involvement in candidate nominations to be a political attack, but he walked up the courthouse steps and entered courtroom 417. On May 11, Yoon posted a message titled "An Appeal to the People" on his Facebook page, urging support for Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party candidate. Yoon stated, "The June 3 presidential election is not simply a matter of changing administrations, but an election that stands at the crossroads of whether to protect or destroy the free Republic of Korea." Supporters of Yoon who gathered at the court chanted "Yoon Sukyeol" and waved placards that read "YOON AGAIN."

The third trial for Yoon's case began at 10:15 a.m. that day in the Criminal Division 25 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Ji Guyoun. This was the first time that Yoon appeared at court alongside ordinary defendants in a public setting. Previously, the Seoul High Court, which is responsible for security and management of the courthouse, had accepted the request from the security office and allowed Yoon to use the underground parking lot passageway to enter the courthouse. However, this time, the request was not granted.

During the trial, witness examinations were held for Park Junghwan, Chief of Staff of the Army Special Warfare Command, and Oh Sangbae, aide to the Commander of the Capital Defense Command. Chief of Staff Park was present in the combat control room during the 12·3 Martial Law when former Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jonggeun received instructions by phone from Yoon. Aide Oh was in the same car as former Capital Defense Commander Lee Jinwoo. They are expected to testify about the instructions given and the situation on the ground during the martial law period. This trial was also the first to be held since prosecutors brought additional charges of abuse of authority obstructing the exercise of rights against Yoon on May 1. The court decided to merge the new charges with the existing rebellion case, considering the facts of both cases to be the same.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, which is investigating allegations that Yoon and his wife intervened in candidate nominations, sent a summons to Kim Keonhee this week, requesting her appearance as a suspect for violating election law. In addition to this case, Kim is also under investigation for the so-called "Geonjin Beopsa lobbying allegations" and the "Deutsche Motors stock manipulation allegations."