Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Criminal trial starts for ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol
A vehicle carrying former President Yoon Suk Yeol, accused of leading an insurrection, exits the underground parking lot of his residence in Seocho District, Seoul, Monday, to attend his criminal trial. Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
Impeached leader claims he's not guilty of criminal charges
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s criminal trial opened Monday on charges of leading an insurrection through his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.
In court, Yoon countered the prosecution’s indictment point by point, much like his defense during his impeachment trial. He asserted that the martial law declaration was peaceful and intended solely as a warning to opposition lawmakers over their lack of cooperation.
The trial comes just 10 days after the Constitutional Court removed Yoon from office in its April 4 ruling. Yoon is now the fifth former president in Korea to face a criminal trial. However, he is the first in the nation’s history to be indicted and arrested while still in office.
Yoon arrived at the Seoul Central District Court at 9:48 a.m. in a black van, ahead of the schedule 10 a.m. trial start. His appearance was shielded from the media, as the court had approved a request from the Presidential Security Service (PSS) for a discreet arrival, citing security concerns.
Exiting the vehicle shielded from public view, Yoon proceeded directly to the main courtroom through an underground parking lot. He wore a dark blue suit paired with a dark wine-colored tie as he took his seat at the defendant’s bench.
The court also denied media requests to photograph or film inside the courtroom, meaning no images or video of Yoon in the defendant’s seat have been made public.
A vehicle carrying former President Yoon Suk Yeol enters the underground parking lot at Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
During the first trial session, the court confirmed Yoon’s identity before the prosecution read out the charges against him. Yoon then took the microphone for about 40 minutes, systematically refuting the indictment point by point.
"Does it make sense to accuse me of insurrection when I lifted the emergency martial law just hours after the National Assembly requested it?" Yoon said in response to the prosecution’s charges.
He also flatly denied the allegations that former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun was appointed in preparation for declaring martial law.
"The Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Martial Law Division has always handled such tasks," Yoon said.
Yoon’s lawyer, Yoon Kap-keun, emphasized that his client denies all charges.
"If declaring emergency martial law is considered insurrection (by the prosecution's logic), then even efforts to protect future generations would be labeled as insurrection, which is an absurd argument," he said. "The former president never issued any orders to block the National Assembly or to unlawfully arrest or detain anyone."
Meanwhile, the court tightened security at the courthouse, restricting vehicle access to only essential service vehicles until midnight, in preparation for any possible incidents.