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| ▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (C) questions former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun during the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Jan. 23, 2025, over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, in this file photo provided by the Constitutional Court. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Yoon-criminal trial
Criminal trial of indicted Yoon on insurrection charges to begin Feb. 20
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- The criminal trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges related to his Dec. 3 martial law imposition is set to begin later this month, legal sources said Monday.
Along with an ongoing impeachment trial, Yoon has been also under criminal probe for insurrection that supersedes his presidential immunity from prosecution.
A division of the Seoul Central District Court handling Yoon's case has scheduled the first pretrial hearing for Feb. 20, according to the sources.
Yoon is not obligated to be present at the pretrial hearing as it is a procedural step conducted to review key issues and evidence before the formal trial begins.
Yoon is accused of conspiring with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and others to incite an insurrection by declaring an unconstitutional and illegal state of emergency, despite the absence of any signs of war, armed conflict or a comparable national crisis.
Yoon is also alleged to have sent military troops to the National Assembly in order to keep lawmakers from voting down the martial law declaration and to have planned to arrest key political figures.
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