SEOUL: South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court Monday for another hearing in his criminal trial after filing past waiting journalists, as he defends himself against insurrection charges over his declaration of martial law.Yoon was formally stripped of office last month after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament.In January he became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested, although he was later released on procedural grounds.
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Yoon was ordered by the Seoul court to attend trial and has been stripped of his right to enter through the underground parking lot, meaning he had to go past a media scrum for the first time. Dressed in a suit and red tie, Yoon walked past journalists without responding to any questions.At previous hearings, the ex-president has spoken for more than 90 minutes, denying that he had committed insurrection.If found guilty, Yoon would become the third South Korean president to be found guilty of insurrection — after two military leaders in connection with a 1979 coup.For charges of insurrection, Yoon could be sentenced to life in prison or the maximum penalty: the death sentence.But it is highly unlikely that sentence would be carried out. South Korea has had an unofficial moratorium on executions since 1997.Separately, in early May, prosecutors indicted Yoon without detention for abuse of power over his martial law declaration.The indictment came a day after investigators also raided Yoon’s private residence in Seoul as part of a probe into bribery allegations involving his wife Kim Keon Hee and a shaman accused of receiving lavish gifts on behalf of the former first lady.On Sunday Yoon’s party, the ruling People Power Party (PPP), registered former labour minister Kim Moon-soo as its official presidential candidate, an election triggered by Yoon’s martial law declaration.Yoon wrote on Facebook that the June 3 election is a “matter of life and death for South Korea’s liberal democratic system”.“Citizens, especially our young generation who cherish freedom, I ask you once again to stand with us,” wrote the 64-year-old.
