Ex-president photographed for first time at insurrection trial

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends the second hearing of his criminal trial at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Monday. Joint Press Corps

Under a barrage of camera flashes, former President Yoon Suk Yeol made his first photographed appearance as a defendant on Monday, for the second hearing of his insurrection trial.

The session was held at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, exactly one week after the first. It was the same courtroom where four other former presidents — Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye — underwent criminal trials for charges ranging from insurrection to corruption.

Unlike the first session, the court permitted filming inside the courtroom when the former president made his entrance.

Wearing a red tie and a suit, Yoon entered with a stern expression and took a seat in the defendant’s section, closest to the bench.

"Taking into account public interest and the right to know, we have permitted courtroom filming before the start of the trial, following previous precedents," the court's chief judge said before commencing the proceedings.

As opposed to his first trial session a week ago, where the former president defended his position for nearly 90 minutes, Yoon remained mostly silent during the cross-examination.

At the center of the debate was his order to remove lawmakers from the National Assembly when he declared martial law on Dec. 3.

The second hearing of the criminal trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, charged with leading an insurrection, is about to start at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Monday. Joint Press Corps

During the session, Cho Seong-hyun, chief of the 1st Security Division of the Capital Defense Command and a key witness in the case, testified that he received an order to "remove the lawmakers" from the National Assembly. It is alleged Yoon made the order to prevent lawmakers from voting to lift martial law.

Cho gave the same testimony during the first hearing that he received the order from Lee Jin-woo, the commander of the Capital Defense Command.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol enters the courtroom to attend the second hearing of his criminal trial at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Monday. Joint Press Corps

Yoon’s defense team argued that if the president really attempted to prevent the Assembly's voting by mobilizing troops, he would have sent the soldiers immediately after declaring martial law, not two hours after the announcement.

In response, Cho said, "I can’t assess that, but it was indeed a very unusual situation."

As Yoon’s defense team pressed Cho further about the nature of the order, questioning whether the command to remove the lawmakers could have been given without prior planning, Cho responded, "You must already know why such an order was given."

As Cho's testimony increasingly worked against Yoon, his defense team cast doubt on the credibility of the statements, saying his statements to the prosecution, the Constitutional Court and the trial differed slightly. They specifically highlighted the ambiguous way in which Cho conveyed orders to his subordinates in charge of the units.

Cho rebutted, saying, "All of those statements are true."