Seoul: A court on Thursday allowed the press to take photographs and videos of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's second criminal trial hearing on insurrection charges next week. The Seoul Central District Court announced its decision to open the courtroom to the press before the start of the hearing, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the court stated, "Following a request for the defendant's opinion, we decided to allow (filming) after comprehensively considering the level of public interest, the people's right to know, and the legal interests of the defendant and other relevant people." This move comes after the same court denied press access during the first hearing earlier this week, which led to criticism that Yoon was receiving preferential treatment.
The court further explained that it received two requests from the press to film the hearing but initially rejected both due to the late timing of the requests, which left insufficient time to seek the defendant's opinion and complete other necessary procedures. Court rules stipulate that a presiding judge can permit filming inside the courtroom with the defendant's consent or when it is deemed justifiable for public interest. It is reported that Yoon's side objected to the filming.
Historically, the media have been permitted to photograph and film the first hearings of high-profile cases, such as former President Park Geun-hye's 2017 corruption trial and former President Lee Myung-bak's corruption trial the following year.