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Yoon Suk Yeol skips 12th consecutive court hearing

Published: 29 Sep. 2025, 13:03

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends the first hearing of his trial on charges including aggravated obstruction of official duties and abuse of power at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Sept. 26. [JOINT PRESS COPRS]

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol skipped his 12th consecutive court hearing on charges of leading an insurrection, with his lawyers citing health issues as the reason for his absence.

The 21st hearing in Yoon’s trial was held at 10:10 a.m. on Monday at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul.

“The defendant is voluntarily refusing to appear, correct?” the bench asked Yoon’s legal team before adding, “In accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act, today’s trial will proceed without his attendance.”

Under Article 277-2 of the Criminal Procedure Act, if a detained defendant refuses to appear in court without a valid reason and it is impossible or significantly difficult for correctional officers to compel attendance, the trial may proceed in the defendant's absence.

Since being indicted and detained on Jan. 26, Yoon has refused to attend every hearing since July 10, marking his 12th consecutive absence as of Monday.

Yoon did appear in court on Friday to face new charges, including obstruction of official duties, filed by the special counsel team investigating the insurrection case. Under the law, a defendant must attend the first hearing in a new case.

After Friday's trial, Yoon also appeared in Courtroom 417 of the Seoul Central District Court's west wing for a bail hearing, where he spoke directly for about 18 minutes. It was his first court appearance in 85 days. Yet he again failed to appear at Monday's 21st hearing in his main trial.

“Since attending Friday’s trial, former President Yoon has suffered from dizziness and nausea, making it difficult for him to attend court or respond to proceedings,” Yoon’s legal team said on Monday in a statement to the press.

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 CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]