Appeals court to begin ex-President Yoon's drone infiltration trial on July 15
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol talks to his lawyer during his first sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, June 12, on charges of ordering drone infiltration into North Korea. Courtesy of Seoul Central District Court
An appeal trial for former President Yoon Suk Yeol will begin later this month on charges that he ordered drone incursions into North Korea in an attempt to incite a North Korean provocation that could justify his martial law declaration, legal sources said Friday.
The Seoul High Court has scheduled the trial's first hearing for July 15, according to the sources.
Yoon was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison last month for ordering the Drone Operations Command in October 2024 to send unmanned aerial vehicles to Pyongyang in an attempt to trigger a military clash that could provide a pretext for his martial law bid, declared in December that year and struck down only hours later by a National Assembly vote.
Among the co-defendants, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was also given a 30-year prison term, while Yeo In-hyung, then commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, was sentenced to 15 years. Kim Yong-dae, former head of the Drone Operations Command, received a suspended three-year term.
Both the defendants and the plaintiff, a special counsel team led by Cho Eun-suk, appealed the lower court's rulings.
The jailed former president is standing multiple trials on various charges stemming from his short-lived martial law declaration. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by a district court on charges of leading an insurrection through his martial law bid.