Seoul: Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's criminal trial on insurrection charges is set to formally commence on April 14, as announced by a court on Monday. The Seoul Central District Court revealed this date during the second pretrial hearing, indicating that the first formal hearing will focus on charges that Yoon incited an insurrection through his brief implementation of martial law in December.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok and Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, who are two witnesses requested by the prosecution, will be summoned to testify at the initial hearing. The court noted that both Choi and Cho had expressed their concerns to Yoon before the declaration of martial law on December 3, as outlined in the prosecution's indictment.
Yoon was not present at the court on Monday, in contrast to the first pretrial hearing. The court proceedings state that the defendant's attendance is not mandatory for preparatory hearings.