South Korea’s ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol (C), who’s dealing with fees of orchestrating a riot when he declared martial legislation on December 3, 2024, arrives to attend his trial on the Seoul Central District Court docket in Seoul on Could 12, 2025. Agence France-Presse
SEOUL — South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court docket Monday for an additional listening to in his felony trial after submitting previous ready journalists, as he defends himself in opposition to rebel fees over his declaration of martial legislation.
Yoon was formally stripped of workplace final month after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 try and subvert civilian rule, which noticed armed troopers deployed to parliament.
In January he grew to become South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested, though he was later launched on procedural grounds.
READ: South Korean ex-leader Yoon indicted for abuse of energy – prosecutors
Yoon was ordered by the Seoul court docket to attend trial and has been stripped of his proper to enter by the underground parking zone, which means he needed to go previous a media scrum for the primary time.
Wearing a swimsuit and crimson tie, Yoon walked previous journalists with out responding to any questions.
At earlier hearings, the ex-president has spoken for greater than 90 minutes, denying that he had dedicated rebel.
If discovered responsible, Yoon would change into the third South Korean president to be discovered responsible of rebel — after two navy leaders in reference to a 1979 coup.
READ: South Korea’s ex-president Yoon to face rebel trial
For fees of rebel, Yoon may very well be sentenced to life in jail or the utmost penalty: the demise sentence.
However it’s extremely unlikely that sentence could be carried out. South Korea has had an unofficial moratorium on executions since 1997.
Individually, in early Could, prosecutors indicted Yoon with out detention for abuse of energy over his martial legislation declaration.
The indictment got here a day after investigators additionally raided Yoon’s personal residence in Seoul as a part of a probe into bribery allegations involving his spouse Kim Keon Hee and a shaman accused of receiving lavish items on behalf of the previous first girl.
On Sunday Yoon’s social gathering, the ruling Individuals Energy Occasion (PPP), registered former labour minister Kim Moon-soo as its official presidential candidate, an election triggered by Yoon’s martial legislation declaration.
Yoon wrote on Fb that the June 3 election is a “matter of life and demise for South Korea’s liberal democratic system”.
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“Residents, particularly our younger era who cherish freedom, I ask you as soon as once more to face with us,” wrote the 64-year-old.
