Participants of the '5-Minute Martial Law Meeting' to Face Each Other in Court After 11 Months [Comprehensive]

[Financial News] Several individuals who met for about five minutes in the main reception room of the Office of the President of South Korea just before the declaration of martial law on December 3 are expected to face each other in court. This will be the first time in approximately 11 months that they have gathered publicly since the martial law was declared.
The Criminal Agreement Division 33 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jin-gwan) announced during the fifth trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on charges of abetting the leader of an insurrection, participating in key insurrection duties, and perjury, that 'next week, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, former People Power Party floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryeong will be summoned as witnesses for questioning.'
Currently, the court is holding Han Duck-soo's trial every Monday and Wednesday. The specific day for summoning the four witnesses will be determined after coordinating opinions between the Special Prosecutor Team (led by Cho Eun-seok) and Han Duck-soo's legal team.
Additionally, on the next scheduled date, the 5th, former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, former Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Choi Sang-mok, and former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo, all of whom are currently detained and on trial, will appear in court.
Except for former floor leader Choo, the witnesses are some of the Members of the State Council who were among the 12 officials gathered in the reception room of the Office of the President of South Korea just before President Yoon declared martial law. According to the Special Prosecutor Team, the meeting lasted about five minutes to meet the quorum required for declaring martial law, and some attendees were reportedly summoned without prior knowledge of the martial law plan.
At the previous hearing, CCTV footage captured Han Duck-soo, Lee Sang-min, and others sharing and discussing a document believed to be a Proclamation. Han Duck-soo was also seen reviewing the document.
Therefore, the court is expected to question these Members of the State Council, who are essentially 'witnesses,' about how they came to attend the meeting and what was discussed. The court is also likely to ask about Han Duck-soo's role and statements, as well as the actual conversations recorded on CCTV.
If these witnesses provide testimony contradicting Han Duck-soo's claim that he was unaware of and opposed the martial law, the court may be more inclined to view Han Duck-soo not merely as an abettor of Yoon's declaration of martial law, but as a principal offender in the insurrection.
In that case, the sentencing guidelines for Han Duck-soo would become much harsher. While an abettor of insurrection receives a mandatory reduction in sentence, those convicted of participating in key insurrection duties may face the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for five years or more.
However, Han Duck-soo's legal team continues to argue that 'participating in key insurrection duties presupposes active and voluntary conduct, and that Han made efforts, however brief, to prevent the President's declaration of martial law in a sudden and urgent situation.'
Choo Kyung-ho, who was not present at the meeting just before the declaration of martial law, is expected to be questioned about a roughly seven-minute phone call with Han Duck-soo between December 3 and 4 of last year, immediately after the declaration.
Han Duck-soo claims that at the time, he told Choo that 'Members of the State Council opposed the move, but President Yoon forced it through.' If this is acknowledged as fact, it could mean that Choo, upon hearing about the illegal situation, called about 70 People Power Party lawmakers to the party headquarters instead of the National Assembly, thereby obstructing the vote on the resolution to lift martial law.
However, it remains uncertain whether these current and former Members of the State Council and Choo Kyung-ho will comply with the court's summons. In the case of former President Yoon, he has selectively attended only some of the investigations and trials among the three special prosecutor investigations and several court cases.


theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter