A Seoul court conducted the initial hearing for former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s trial on charges of aiding the enemy by allegedly sending military drones to Pyongyang in 2024. The closed-door hearing at the Seoul Central District Court involved Yoon, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and Yeo In-hyung, the former head of the Defence Counterintelligence Command. Yoon and the two others face accusations of assisting the enemy concerning the drone dispatch to North Korea’s capital in October 2024.
The special counsel’s team suspects that the drone dispatch was intended to provoke North Korea’s retaliation, potentially serving as a pretext for Yoon’s declaration of martial law two months later. Yoon is accused of “benefiting the enemy in general” as the drone incident allegedly led to the disclosure of military secrets to North Korea when the drones purportedly crashed near Pyongyang. The court stated that it would determine in each session whether to continue the trial behind closed doors due to state secrets involved in the case.
Yoon, the deposed former president, is facing multiple charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law, including leading an insurrection. Another court postponed the sentencing request for Yoon over the martial law issue to the following week after a delay in proceedings. The trial bench at the Seoul Central District Court announced the decision during what was expected to be the final hearing, scheduling an additional session to hear the sentencing request from special counsel Cho Eun-suk and Yoon’s final statement.
