Seoul: Former President Yoon Suk Yeol denied all charges at his second trial on martial law-related allegations Friday, marking his first public appearance since his arrest in July. The former president was transported from Seoul Detention Center to the Seoul Central District Court for the first hearing, which commenced at 10:15 a.m. and will be broadcast online after anonymizing personal information.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon, dressed in a dark navy suit and appearing visibly thinner, entered the courtroom donning his inmate number, "3617." He confirmed his identity to the judge by stating his birthday and home address but declined a jury trial. Already standing trial for leading an insurrection through his failed attempt to impose martial law in December, Yoon is now also facing charges of violating Cabinet members' rights, revising the martial law proclamation, and obstructing his detention by investigators in January. Additional charges include ordering the deletion of call records and distributing false statements.
During the hearing, Yoon's legal team contested the charges, arguing that he declared martial law during an emergency and lifted it following the National Assembly's vote to repeal it. They claimed that Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk indicted Yoon with "political motivations" rather than legal grounds. Yoon defended himself against the alleged false proclamation, which investigators suspect was drafted after the decree was lifted to legitimize his actions but was eventually discarded. He recounted an incident involving former presidential secretary Kang Eui-gu, stating, "I scolded (Kang), but he said he would just hold on to it."
Yoon's previous public appearance was on July 9 during an arrest warrant hearing. Since being incarcerated a second time, he has refused to attend his insurrection trial or cooperate with summonses from special counsel teams. His lawyers indicated that his presence at Friday's hearing was legally required to initiate the new trial.
The special counsel team urged the court for expedited proceedings. The bench responded by scheduling hearings at least once a week, primarily on Fridays, with the possibility of additional hearings on Tuesdays. The trial hearing was followed by a session on Yoon's bail request, which he also planned to attend, though it was not to be broadcast. The court intended to explain its reasons for denying the broadcast during the session.