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Ex-President Yoon's insurrection trial held in absentia

Published: 11 Aug. 2025, 14:11

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is under investigation by the special prosecutor in connection with the Dec. 3 martial law plan, appears at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on July 9 for his second pretrial detention hearing. [NEWS1]

The insurrection trial of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol was held in absentia Monday after he refused to appear for the fourth consecutive time.

The Seoul Central District Court held a scheduled trial hearing for the first time since July 24, following a two-week summer break for all courts, but Yoon was absent.

“We will proceed with the trial in absentia due to the refusal of the accused to attend,” the court said. “Any disadvantages caused by the nonattendance will have to be borne by the accused.”

The former president has been standing trial on charges of leading an insurrection and abusing his power through his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

He has refused to attend the hearings since July 10, however, when he was incarcerated for the second time over the martial law plan, citing his deteriorating health.

His lawyers have said the former president is in particular pain since last Thursday, when investigators from special counsel Min Joong-ki's team tried to physically remove him from his detention center to question him over election meddling allegations involving him and his wife, Kim Keon Hee.

The court said the Seoul Detention Center, where Yoon is being held, conveyed the difficulty of bringing him to the trial by force, saying there are concerns about safety, human rights and social repercussions.

Insurrection carries a maximum sentence of life in prison or death.

Yonhap