Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a trial associated to his failed imposition of martial regulation on the Seoul Central District Courtroom, Sept. 26. Joint Press Corps
A court docket mentioned Tuesday it would ship its verdict subsequent month on whether or not former President Yoon Suk Yeol obstructed justice by blocking investigators from detaining him over his short-lived imposition of martial regulation.
The sentencing listening to shall be held Jan. 16, the bench overseeing his trial on the Seoul Central District Courtroom mentioned, citing a regulation that requires the primary ruling to be delivered inside six months of an indictment by the particular counsel workforce that investigated his case.
It will likely be the primary verdict from the 4 circumstances Yoon is standing trial for in connection along with his December 2024 declaration of martial regulation. Additionally, it would come two days earlier than his arrest interval expires.
Yoon has been indicted on fees of obstruction of justice, violating the rights of 9 Cupboard members who weren’t referred to as to a gathering to evaluation his martial regulation plan, drafting and destroying a revised proclamation after the decree was lifted, and ordering the deletion of safe cellphone data.
The indictments had been filed by particular counsel Cho Eun-suk’s workforce on July 17. The bench mentioned it plans to conclude hearings for the case on Dec. 26 with the workforce’s sentencing advice and the defendant’s closing assertion.
Yoon’s attorneys argued the verdicts must be delivered after a separate bench concludes its trial on his rebellion and abuse of energy fees stemming from the decree.
That trial is scheduled to wrap up in early January and produce a verdict in February.
The choose dismissed the declare, nonetheless, saying the case in query isn’t instantly associated as to whether the martial regulation declaration amounted to an rebellion.
The choose added that modifications to the schedule can’t be dominated out within the occasion different points come up throughout the deliberation course of.
Yoon once more defended himself in court docket, saying a president’s declaration of martial regulation isn’t a matter topic to judicial evaluation.
“If within the rebellion case it’s dominated that it didn’t represent an rebellion, the president’s judgment should be revered, eradicating the premise for a violation of the best to evaluation at a Cupboard assembly,” he mentioned.
