Former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo's First Trial Today on Charges of 'Aiding Insurrection Leader'

[Financial News]  The trial of former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, who was indicted on charges of aiding former President Yoon Seok-yeol's December 3 martial law, begins on the 16th.
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 33 (Chief Judge Lee Jin-gwan) will hold the first preparatory hearing for Han's trial at 2 PM today.
The preparatory hearing is a procedure to confirm the positions of both the defendant and the prosecution and to plan the evidence investigation before the formal trial, and the defendant is not required to appear.
The special prosecutor team led by Jo Eun-seok, investigating the insurrection and foreign affairs case related to martial law, indicted Han last month on the 29th without detention on charges of aiding the insurrection leader, perjury, falsifying and using false official documents, damaging public documents, and violating the Presidential Records Management Act.
Han is accused of failing to prevent and aiding the illegal declaration of martial law by former President Yoon last year. The special prosecutor believes that as the 'second-in-command of the state,' the Prime Minister had a duty to check the arbitrary abuse of power by the President but failed to do so.
The special prosecutor suspects that Han convened a cabinet meeting before the declaration of martial law to give the appearance of procedural legitimacy.
There are also charges of drafting and discarding a post-declaration document to correct legal defects in the initial martial law declaration, and perjury during the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial of former President Yoon, where he testified that he was not aware of the martial law declaration.
The special prosecutor applied for an arrest warrant for Han on the 24th of last month, but the court dismissed it, stating, "There is room for dispute regarding important facts and the legal assessment of the suspect's series of actions." Subsequently, the special prosecutor proceeded to trial without reapplying for an arrest warrant after review.
The court plans to conclude the preparatory hearing with one argument today and proceed to the first formal trial on the 30th. The court had previously set the trial date while scheduling the preparatory hearing. scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter