Yoon appears in court for first 'insurrection trial' since special prosecutor appointments... remains silent to questions

Former President Yoon Sukyeol appeared in court to stand trial on charges of insurrection for the first time since the appointment of the so-called 'three major special prosecutors' investigating insurrection, Kim Keonhee, and the death of a Marine in the line of duty.

Former President Yoon Sukyeol Appears at 7th Trial on Charges of Insurrection. Yonhap News

On June 16, Yoon appeared at the seventh trial on charges of being the ringleader of insurrection and abuse of power, presided over by Judge Ji Guyoun of the 25th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court. Dressed in a navy suit and a purple tie, Yoon arrived by car at the west wing of the Seoul Central District Court around 10 a.m. and then walked into the courtroom.

Yoon did not respond to reporters' questions such as, "What is your view on the appointment of Cho Eunseok as the special prosecutor for the insurrection case?", "Will you comply if the special prosecutor requests you to appear for questioning?", and "Did you instruct former Defense Minister Kim Yonghyun to draft the martial law proclamation document before it was written?" Special Prosecutor Cho previously served as the Seoul High Prosecutor when Yoon was head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. They also worked together at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, although they belonged to different departments.

At today's trial, testimony will be heard from Kim Cheoljin, military aide at the Ministry of National Defense, and Lee Jaesik, then chief of planning and coordination at the Martial Law Command and current inspector general for operational readiness at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Brigadier General).

At the previous sixth trial, Lee Sanghyun, former commander of the 1st Airborne Brigade of the Army Special Warfare Command, testified as a witness and stated that it was indeed former President Yoon Sukyeol who ordered lawmakers to be removed during the 12·3 Martial Law incident. In response, Yoon directly refuted at the end of the trial, saying, "It is clearly a lie to say that in the military, 'the superior' means the president."