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Former president Yoon denied bail during new trial

Published: 02 Oct. 2025, 15:54

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol takes his seat at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, on Sept. 26 for his trial. [NEWS1]

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was taken back into custody by a special counsel team investigating the insurrection case, was denied bail by a Seoul court.

The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday rejected Yoon’s bail application. Bail allows a detained defendant to be released under certain conditions, such as posting a bond, designating a guarantor or agreeing to restrictions on residence and contact with people involved in the case.

“The court finds sufficient grounds to believe that the defendant may destroy evidence under Article 95, Clause 3 of the Criminal Procedure Act, and does not recognize any compelling reason under Article 96 to grant bail,” the court said in its ruling.

Bail must be granted unless there are reasonable grounds to believe that the defendant may destroy evidence, according to Article 95 of the act.

Yoon, who was previously detained and indicted, was released in March after the court canceled his detention order. But in July, he was rearrested following a request by the special counsel and a subsequent court decision.

Yoon applied for bail on Sept. 19, citing health problems and claiming that his continued detention impaired both his ability to stand trial and his right to a defense.

“Since being taken back into custody, just surviving in a 1.8-pyeong [64-square-foot] cell has been a struggle,” said Yoon during a bail hearing held on Sept. 26.

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]]