Home > National > Social Affairs

Court allows live broadcasting of Yoon Suk Yeol's first trial

Published: 25 Sep. 2025, 13:51 Updated: 25 Sep. 2025, 18:43

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol leaves the office of Special Counsel Cho Eun-seok, located within the Seoul High Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul, after questioning on July 6. [YONHAP]

The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday said it will allow live broadcasting of the first trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces charges including obstruction of official duties.

The Seoul Central District Court approved the special counsel’s request, allowing live broadcasting of the entire first trial session, from its opening at 10:15 a.m. on Friday to its conclusion, citing Article 11, Clause 4 of the Special Counsel Act on Insurrection.

Under the clause, the presiding judge must permit broadcasting if requested by either the special counsel or the defendant, unless there is a compelling reason to deny it. In such cases, the court must issue a ruling explaining the grounds for refusal.

The court said that, similar to broadcasted hearings at the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court, personal information would be anonymized.

The court also granted media outlets permission to film the courtroom before the trial begins, in accordance with Supreme Court regulations on public access and filming.

While filming Yoon’s bail hearing is permitted, judges banned live coverage of the proceedings scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Friday. The court said the judges will explain their reasons for rejecting the broadcast request during the hearing.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]