▲ Former President Yoon Suk Yeol
It has been confirmed that Supreme Court Justice Oh Seok-joon (19th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute) has recused himself from the final appeal trial regarding charges including the obstruction of an arrest by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) involving former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The Supreme Court stated today (July 8), "Justice Oh recused himself from this case due to concerns regarding the impartiality of the trial," adding, "He has not participated in the deliberations since the case was assigned, and he will not participate in the ruling scheduled for the 9th."
Recusal is a system in which a judge voluntarily withdraws from a trial due to concerns about fairness.
The Supreme Court's Third Petty Bench will hold the sentencing hearing for former President Yoon's case, which includes charges of special obstruction of official duties, at 2:00 PM tomorrow (July 9).
Justice Oh will be excluded from the sentencing of the appeal regarding the obstruction of arrest, and only Justices Lee Heung-gu, Noh Kyung-pil, and Lee Sook-yeon will participate.
The presiding judge is Justice Lee Heung-gu, and the justice in charge of the case is Justice Lee Sook-yeon.
Justice Oh was the first Supreme Court justice appointed under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration in 2022.
Former President Yoon entered Seoul National University College of Law in 1979, and Justice Oh entered in 1980, making them one year apart as senior and junior. Their personal acquaintance was made public during Oh's confirmation hearing.
At the time, Justice Oh replied, "When we had meals together during our university days, we would share drinks, and in subsequent meetings, if we met in the evening, it was inevitable that we would have drinks."
Justice Oh also previously stated that he attended former President Yoon's wedding.
(Photo: Provided by Seoul Central District Court, Yonhap News)
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