Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol showed up in court Friday and denied every charge against him in his second trial over the failed martial law attempt. This marked his first public appearance since authorities arrested him in July.
Yoon arrived from the Seoul Detention Centre, located just south of the capital, for the hearing at Seoul Central District Court. The session kicked off at 10:15 a.m. and streams online after the court anonymizes personal details to protect privacy.
Wearing a dark navy suit and looking noticeably thinner, Yoon stepped into the courtroom with his inmate number, 3617, pinned to his chest. When the judge checked his identity, he gave his birthday and home address, then turned down a jury trial.
Yoon already faces a separate trial for leading an insurrection through his short-lived push for martial law back in December. Now, prosecutors have added charges against him for violating Cabinet members’ rights, tweaking the martial law proclamation, blocking investigators from detaining him in January, ordering the deletion of call records, and spreading false statements, according to Yonhap news agency.
Yoon’s legal team pushed back hard during the hearing. They argued that he declared martial law during an emergency and quickly lifted it after the National Assembly voted to repeal it. The lawyers also slammed the special counsel, Cho Eun-suk, claiming the indictment stems from political motives rather than solid legal grounds.
Yoon spoke up to defend himself on one key point: the alleged false proclamation. Investigators say his team drafted it after lifting the decree to make his actions look more legit, but then scrapped it. “I scolded [former presidential secretary Kang Eui-gu], but he said he would just hold on to it,” Yoon explained.
This is Yoon’s first court visit since July 9, when he attended a hearing on his arrest warrant. The court approved it, leading to his second stint behind bars. Since then, he’s skipped his main insurrection trial and ignored summonses from the special counsel team probing his South Korea martial law scandal.
His lawyers noted that the law forced him to appear for this new trial to get it started. The special counsel’s office urged the court to move fast on the case. In response, the judge said they plan to schedule hearings at least once a week—mostly Fridays, with Tuesdays added if they need two sessions.
Right after this hearing, the court moved to Yoon’s bail request. He planned to stick around for that one too, though it won’t air online. Following the rules, the judge promised to explain during the session why they’re blocking the broadcast.
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