| Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends the first hearing in his criminal trial on abuse of power charges at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap) |
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court Friday for the opening hearing in his trial on charges of abuse of power and obstructing performance of official duties, his first public appearance in 85 days since attending an insurrection trial hearing on July 3.
Yoon entered the courtroom of the Seoul Central District Court wearing a navy suit without a tie and a badge displaying his inmate number, 3617.
The special counsel team, led by Cho Eun-suk, investigating whether Yoon’s botched martial law declaration constituted treason and insurrection, detained the disgraced former president on July 10. Yoon has since declined to appear at 11 consecutive hearings linked to the insurrection case, citing health reasons.
Yoon’s legal representatives announced in a text message to reporters that the former president is scheduled to attend the court hearing on Friday as “the defendant’s presence is a requirement for opening the trial under the Criminal Procedure Act.”
The special counsel team has charged Yoon with special obstruction of public duty, abuse of power and crimes of obstructing another from exercising one’s right over his short-lived martial law declaration.
Accusations against Yoon include violating the rights of Cabinet members during the martial law imposition procedures, backdating official documents to make his declaration appear legally legitimate, and ordering martial-law-related officials to delete records from secure phones.
The Seoul Central District Court granted permission for courtroom photography and filming both before the session begins and during the entire proceedings.
The court previously announced its authorization of the broadcast under Article 11 of the Special Counsel Act for Investigations, which stipulates that the presiding judge shall permit broadcasting unless there are special circumstances, upon request by the special counsel or the defendant.
The proceedings will not be broadcast live, however, due to the possible exposure of personal information and military secrets.
The entire proceedings will be recorded by the court’s video cameras and released online after processing, including anonymization of personal information, according to the Seoul Central District Court.
Friday’s hearing marks the first time that an entire first trial session is being broadcast.
In 2018, the Seoul court allowed only the sentencing hearings of former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak to be broadcast.
Meanwhile, the Seoul court is also scheduled to hold a separate hearing on the former president’s request for bail, following his formal hearing of the second trial.
Yoon’s attorneys are expected to stress the necessity for a trial without detention, citing Yoon’s right to a defense and health concerns. The special counsel team is likely to refute these claims by emphasizing the seriousness of the crimes and the risk of evidence tampering.
The bail hearing will not be broadcast.
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