First Hearing for the Special Prosecutor's Additional Insurrection Case on the 26th
Bail Review to Follow Immediately After
First Court Appearance in Over Two Months Since Re-Arrest in July
Former President Yoon Sukyeol will attend the first trial for a new case additionally indicted by the special prosecutor's team on insurrection, scheduled for September 26. This will be his first court appearance in over two months, after consistently refusing to participate in both the insurrection leadership trial and the special prosecutor's attempts to bring him in since his re-arrest on July 10, maintaining a strategy of resistance.
Former President Yoon Sukyeol is entering the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 9th to attend a pre-arrest detention hearing. The hearing is being presided over by Nam Sejin, the chief judge in charge of warrants and a graduate of the 33rd Judicial Research and Training Institute. On September 23, Yoon's legal counsel announced to the media, "He will appear for the new case hearing at 10:30 a.m. on September 26," adding, "The defendant's presence is a legal requirement for opening a criminal trial under the Criminal Procedure Act, and since this new case constitutes a separate trial procedure from the ongoing insurrection trial, which has been conducted in absentia, attendance at this first hearing is mandatory."
The Criminal Agreement Division 35 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Baek Daehyun) will hold the first hearing for former President Yoon on charges including obstruction of special official duties, abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights, and falsification of official documents starting at 10:15 a.m. on the 26th. On the same day, at 10:30 a.m., the court has also scheduled a bail hearing for former President Yoon.
Previously, on September 19, former President Yoon applied for bail, citing the need to ensure his right to a proper defense and health reasons. The bail hearing is expected to take place after the conclusion of the first trial session.
As a result, this will be former President Yoon's first public appearance in over two months since he attended a detention review hearing on July 18. Since his re-arrest on July 10, he has failed to appear at ten consecutive hearings for the insurrection leadership and abuse of authority case, which is being presided over by the Criminal Agreement Division 25 of the same court (Presiding Judge Ji Guyoun), citing health reasons. The court has continued to conduct the trial in absentia due to his absence.
Meanwhile, former President Yoon is also refusing to comply with the summons for questioning by the special prosecutor's team. The team had notified him to appear as a suspect regarding the Pyongyang drone allegations by 10 a.m. on September 24, but he reportedly conveyed his intention not to attend verbally to the Seoul Detention Center staff. His legal team stated, "No written statement for non-attendance was submitted."
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