Court Allows Live Broadcast of First-Trial Verdict in Yoon Suk Yeol ‘Obstruction of Arrest’ Case

[Financial News] The court has authorized a live broadcast of the first-instance sentencing for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is charged with obstructing the arrest operations of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and others.
According to the legal community on the 15th, Criminal Agreement Division 35 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Baek Dae-hyun, Chief Judge of the Criminal Division, approved a request to broadcast the sentencing hearing in the first trial of Yoon’s case on charges including obstruction of the performance of official duties. The sentencing is scheduled for the 16th.
Yoon is accused of having ordered the Presidential Security Service (PSS) in January to block the execution of an arrest warrant issued by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). He also faces charges of infringing cabinet members’ deliberation rights in connection with a so-called “martial law State Council meeting,” drafting a post hoc martial law proclamation, deleting records from secure phones, and issuing false public statements related to martial law.
The Special Prosecutor Team for Insurrection and Treason, led by Cho Eun-seok, has sought a total prison term of 10 years for Yoon. By charge, the team requested a five-year sentence for obstructing the arrest, a three-year sentence for infringing cabinet members’ rights to deliberate and vote and for spreading false information to foreign correspondents and destroying evidence related to secure phones, and a two-year sentence for drafting the post hoc emergency martial law proclamation.
On the 13th, in connection with the December 3 emergency martial law, Yoon was also the subject of a prosecution request for the death penalty on charges of being the ringleader of insurrection and of abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights. In total, Yoon now faces eight separate trials.
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo and Choi Eun-sol Reporter