On the afternoon of the 8th, President Yoon Suk-yeol was released from the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang City, Gyeonggi Province, after a court accepted his request to cancel detention. He greeted his supporters as he left.
President Yoon, who is indicted on charges of leading an insurrection, is set to face a formal trial on the 14th of next month. The Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Agreement Division 25 (presided by Judge Ji Kwi-yeon) held the second preparatory hearing for Yoon’s insurrection charge on the 24th, announcing that the first trial will take place at 10 AM on April 14th. The proceedings on that day lasted about 40 minutes.
The court has selected Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, and Cho Tae-yul, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as the first witnesses.
Preparatory hearings serve as a procedure to confirm the positions and discuss evidence plans of both the defendant and the prosecution before the main trial, and the defendant is not required to attend. President Yoon attended the first preparatory hearing on the 20th of last month but did not appear on this day. Attendance is mandatory for the main trial.
In December of last year, President Yoon was charged with collaborating with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and others to unlawfully and unconstitutionally declare a martial law without signs of war, rebellion, or similar national emergency, with the intention of disrupting national order by inciting a revolt.