South Korean former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s trial, accused of leading an insurrection by imposing martial law briefly, is set to end this week. The Seoul Central District Court will conduct four hearings this week concerning Yoon, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho, and five others. They are charged with involvement in an insurrection linked to the 2024 martial law attempt.
The court is expected to finish questioning the former defence minister on Monday and Tuesday, with final deliberations set for Wednesday and Friday. Due to the multiple defendants, the hearings may extend late into the night. However, the final arguments for former police chief Cho, who is battling blood cancer, might be delayed until January 22.
The court is likely to announce the sentencing in early February. Yoon faces potential punishment options including the death penalty, life imprisonment, or life imprisonment without forced labor. He is accused of collaborating to incite a riot and illegally declare martial law without a national emergency, leading to the sealing off of the National Assembly compound and the arrest of key political figures.
Yoon, the first sitting president to be indicted with physical detention last year, was released in March but detained again in July for additional charges related to the martial law attempt.
