Former President Yoon Seok-yeol made his first public court appearance on charges of being the ringleader of an insurrection. On May 12, Yoon arrived at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, Seoul, to attend his trial related to the ‘December 3 Illegal Martial Law’ incident. Despite a barrage of questions from reporters, he remained silent and did not stop at the photo line.
He arrived around 9:54 a.m. in a navy suit with a red tie, accompanied by security, and walked approximately 25 meters from his vehicle to the court’s entrance. Only his lawyer, Yoon Gab-geun, followed behind him.
Yoon did not address any questions from the press, such as whether he intended to apologize for declaring martial law, whether he considers himself a champion of free democracy, or his thoughts on an early presidential election. He also did not respond to questions about suspicions involving Kim Keon-hee’s intervention in nominations, which have been labeled as political attacks.
The public appearance comes after the Seoul High Court, responsible for security at the courthouse complex, decided not to allow entry and exit through the underground parking lot from this session onward. The first two sessions had used the underground parking facility, usually off-limits to the public, to manage crowds and minimize disruption to petitioners.
This decision sparked controversy over perceived preferential treatment, as the appearances of detained former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak were publicly documented. Limited media coverage of Yoon at the defendant’s seat was only permitted during the second trial. The 3rd trial commenced with additional charges of abuse of power, featuring testimonies from military officials such as Park Jeong-hwan and Oh Sang-bae.