Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday attended the second session of a sedition trial in the capital Seoul, where he was photographed in the defendant’s seat for the first time, Korean media reported.
Yoon, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, arrived at Seoul Central District Court through an underground car park under camera flashes, Yonhap news agency reported.
He faces charges of leading an insurgency following the brief imposition of martial law on December 3, when he sent troops into the National Assembly in an attempt to prevent lawmakers from voting in favour of the declaration. At the start of the hearing, the judge announced the court’s decision to allow the press to photograph and film the opening session.
Photographers were asked to leave the room before the hearing officially began. During the first hearing, the court banned filming.
Yoon, who was removed from office on April 4 after the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld his impeachment, faces life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted. He denies the charges, saying his attempt to impose martial law did not amount to mutiny.
Yoon’s legal team has questioned two military officers who claimed as witnesses last week that they were instructed by their superiors to escort lawmakers out of the National Assembly building after martial law was declared.
