Former Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared before the Seoul Central District Court for the first hearing in his criminal mutiny case. The former head of state, who was removed from office on April 4 by a Constitutional Court ruling, denied all charges against him on Monday.
Yoon was removed from power after martial law was imposed on December 3, 2024. Despite attempts to block parliament, National Assembly members voted in favour of lifting the legal regime. Hours later, the president the acceptance of the lawmakers’ demand.
According to South Korean laws, prosecution under the articles of sedition and treason is possible even against a sitting president. Defendants face penalties of up to life imprisonment or the death penalty, although the latter measure has not been used since 1997.
During the trial, Yoon said, “I don’t think the very attempt to portray as mutiny the events of a few hours during which I immediately agreed without resistance to the parliament’s demand to lift martial law is in accordance with the law. When Kim Yong-hyun was appointed as defence minister, there was no thought of martial law. Claims that outlines of such plans existed since the spring of 2024, as the prosecutors’ office says, turn the conversation into a comedy.”
Opposition lawmaker Kim Min-seok, who warned of the possibility of martial law back in August, linked the intensified preparation of the plan to the change in the head of the defence ministry. According to some reports, Yoon has mentioned martial law in private conversations with associates since March 2024.
The former president repeated his claims that martial law was symbolic and meant to show citizens the paralysis of the executive branch due to the opposition’s actions in parliament. The Constitutional Court had earlier rejected these arguments. The former leader’s lawyer declared a complete refutation of the interpretation of the facts stated in the indictment.
