'Yoon arrest obstruction' and 'Han insurrection duties' cases to be heard on appeal by Special Panel for Insurrection Cases

According to The Financial News, the appeal in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s case over the alleged obstruction of an arrest operation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) has been assigned to the Seoul High Court’s Special Panel for Insurrection Cases, Criminal Division 1, presided over by Judge Yoon Sung-sik with Judge Min Sung-chul as the reporting judge. The appeal in former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s case on charges of performing key duties in connection with an insurrection has been assigned to Criminal Division 12-1, presided over by Judge Lee Seung-cheol with Judge Kim Min-a as the reporting judge.
According to the Seoul High Court on the 23rd, these divisions were designated as the Special Panel for Insurrection Cases at a general meeting of all Seoul High Court judges held on the 5th. During the random assignment process, there were originally 16 criminal divisions, but judges from the 17th and 18th classes of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, who are classmates of former President Yoon and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, were excluded from the draw.
Earlier, through two general meetings of all judges, the Seoul High Court set basic conditions for the panel: two out of the 16 criminal divisions would be designated, and the judges must have at least 17 years of legal experience and at least 10 years of experience on the bench.
However, because it is highly likely that the appeal will also proceed in the case where former President Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment at first instance on charges of being a ringleader of an insurrection, additional Special Panels for Insurrection Cases may be designated.
On January 16, former President Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison at his first-instance trial before Criminal Agreement Division 35 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Baek Dae-hyun, on charges including obstruction of special official duties, abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights, preparation of false official documents, and violation of the Presidential Records Act. He is accused of obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant by the CIO and the police, and of infringing on cabinet members’ rights to deliberate and vote.
On January 26, former Prime Minister Han was sentenced to 23 years in prison by Criminal Agreement Division 33 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Jin-gwan, on charges including performing key duties in connection with an insurrection. He was brought to trial on allegations that he learned in advance of former President Yoon’s plan to declare emergency martial law on the night of December 3, 2024, but failed to stop it and instead acquiesced. Additional charges included discussing with Lee Sang-min, former Minister of the Interior and Safety, the execution of orders to blockade the National Assembly and cut off power and water supplies to media outlets, drafting and later destroying the martial law proclamation after the fact, and committing perjury before the Constitutional Court of Korea.

theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter