Yoon, 'Special Prosecutor Additional Indictment' Trial Starts Today... Twice a Week Trial

[Financial News] The trial of the case additionally indicted by the Special Prosecutor's Team for Rebellion and Foreign Affairs (Cho Eun-seok Special Prosecutor) against former President Yoon Seok-yeol will begin on the 19th.
Seoul Central District Court Criminal Agreement Division 35 (Presiding Judge Baek Dae-hyun) will hold the first trial preparation date for the case of obstruction of special official duties, abuse of authority, and forgery and use of false official documents against former President Yoon at 11 a.m. on this day.
The trial preparation date is a procedure to confirm the defendant's position and organize future proof plans before the formal trial, and the defendant is not obliged to attend.
Yoon's side requested a change of date, stating that the investigation records have not yet been copied and the appointment of a defense attorney has not been completed, but the court did not accept it. Therefore, there is a possibility of a stalemate over the issue of securing records at the preparation date.
The special prosecutor sees that former President Yoon violated the constitutional deliberation and decision rights of nine cabinet members by proceeding in a way that only a few were convened in the emergency martial law proclamation pre-cabinet meeting on December 3 last year, and indicted him on the 19th of last month.
Former President Yoon is also accused of drafting a false martial law proclamation document that appeared to be signed by former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo and former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun after the martial law was lifted, and of shredding and discarding the document, which is a presidential record and public document. Additionally, he is charged with ordering the deletion of communication records of Yeon In-hyung, former commander of the Defense Security Command, and others to prepare for the investigation, and with instructing the Presidential Security Service to block the execution of an arrest warrant by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Gongsoocheo) in January.
Former President Yoon has already been indicted by the Emergency Martial Law Special Investigation Headquarters on charges of being the head of rebellion and abuse of authority and is being tried in the Criminal Agreement Division 25 (Presiding Judge Ji Gui-yeon). However, after being re-arrested by the special prosecutor on the 10th of last month, he has been absent five times in a row until the previous day, citing health deterioration.
The additionally indicted case deals with allegations during the post-martial law proclamation process, and there is a possibility of it being merged with the existing case. Attention is focused on whether merger discussions will take place in the trial on this day. 

scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter