Removed Hearings on South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol’s proposal to impose martial law began Thursday, making him the nation’s first sitting head of state to go on trial in a criminal case.
The 64-year-old former prosecutor has been in custody since his arrest last month on insurrection-related allegations, for which he faces a life sentence or the death penalty.
At Seoul’s Central District Court, criminal proceedings began Thursday at 10 a.m. (0100 GMT), according to an AFP correspondent there.
The courtroom was crowded with people, and the building was well guarded because Yoon was there.
Outside the security cordon, a fan of the ousted president wearing a Captain America costume was seen.
Prosecutors have accused the suspended president of being the “ringleader of an insurrection”.
But his lawyers insist the investigation lacked legitimacy from the start and have challenged the legality of his indictment, given it was within his power as head of state to declare martial law.
Yoon’s lawyer Kim Hong-il described the trial as a “significant event in constitutional history”.
“The judiciary must serve as the stabilising force,” he told the court, warning that he was “witnessing a reality where illegality compounds illegality”.
His request was to “ensure that the defendant’s rights are not unjustly violated” by the court.
Following his impeachment by parliament in December, the Constitutional Court of South Korea is also considering whether to legally remove Yoon from office.
On that case, his tenth hearing is set for 3 p.m.
*
Email *
Website
