Yoon Seok-youl, the former president, attended his trial dealing with charges of being the leader of a rebellion. The trial took place at the Seoul Central District Court, starting at 10:10 a.m. Yoon was present for the continuation of the trial, which included the cross-examination of Gwak Jong-geun, a former Army Special Warfare Command commander. Gwak alleged that during the martial law, Yoon instructed him to “remove the lawmakers from the National Assembly.”
Previously, Yoon attended the trial and directly questioned Gwak, asking whether the deployment of martial law troops to the National Assembly was not perceived as a measure to maintain order. Gwak firmly disagreed with that notion.
Yoon argued that deploying special forces inside the National Assembly chamber to remove lawmakers would portray a dictatorship to the world, suggesting that such actions would require careful questioning of the ministers involved. Gwak countered by stating that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun had not made dismissive comments about the martial law, and that the suddenness of martial law led to a later realization that it was not aligned with expectations.
Yoon has been absent from his trials for four months since being re-arrested on charges of rebellion last July but has appeared for two consecutive sessions since October 30. Yoon’s legal team stated that he will selectively attend the trials, depending on the availability of testimonies from key witnesses, and that his health-related concerns may affect his attendance.