Appellate Trial for Former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Insurrection Charges to Conclude Today

The appellate trial for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of being the ringleader of an insurrection related to the December 3 emergency martial law will conclude today (Nov. 5).

The 12-1 Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Lee Seung-chul, Cho Jin-gu, and Kim Min-ah) will hold the final sentencing hearing for the insurrection charges against former President Yoon, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and other defendants at 10 a.m. today.

During today's hearing, former President Yoon's defense team will present their final arguments, followed by the final statements of the defendants.

The court is scheduled to announce the date for the second-instance ruling toward the end of the session.

Typically, the final hearing for a criminal case includes the prosecution's final arguments and sentencing recommendations, as well as the defense's final arguments and the defendants' final statements, all conducted within a single day.

Considering that there are multiple defendants, the court handling the insurrection ringleader case decided to divide the final hearing procedures across a total of three sessions, starting from October 29 through today.

If the arguments conclude as planned today, the trial will wrap up approximately six months after the first official hearing held on May 14 of this year.

Previously, the special counsel team led by Cho Eun-seok demanded the death penalty for former President Yoon, the same sentence demanded during the first trial.

The team demanded life imprisonment for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and 30 years in prison for former Defense Intelligence Command Chief Noh Sang-won.

The special counsel team stated, "Defendant Yoon Suk Yeol, who betrayed the people, must be punished with the maximum penalty under the law," pointing out that the life imprisonment sentence given in the first trial was too lenient.

Meanwhile, during the hearing the day before yesterday, former President Yoon's side defended the legitimacy of declaring the emergency martial law, arguing, "It was a desperate choice by the president, the head of state, to inform the public of a ruinous situation for the country," while maintaining his innocence.

In February, the first-instance court found former President Yoon guilty of inciting a riot with the intent to subvert the Constitution and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The first trial ruled that former President Yoon's act of sending troops to the National Assembly met the legal requirements for the crime of insurrection, namely the "intent to subvert the Constitution" and a "riot."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.