Appeal in "Yoon Insurrection Ringleader" Case Assigned to Seoul High Court Criminal Division 12

[The Financial News] The case of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial over the December 3 emergency martial law declaration, has been assigned to a Special Panel for Insurrection Cases. Full-scale appellate proceedings are expected to begin soon.
The Seoul High Court announced on the 4th that the case against former President Yoon on charges of being an insurrection ringleader and of abuse of power by obstructing the exercise of rights has been assigned to Criminal Division 12-1 of the Seoul High Court, presided over by Judge Lee Seung-cheol of the Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 12-1, with High Court Judge Cho Jin-gu serving on the panel.
This division was designated as the Special Panel for Insurrection Cases at the General Assembly of Judges of the Seoul High Court held on the 5th of last month. The court originally had 16 criminal divisions, but during the drawing of lots, judges from the 17th and 18th classes of the Judicial Research and Training Institute—who are classmates of former President Yoon and Lee Sang-min, former Minister of the Interior and Safety—were excluded from the selection pool. Earlier, through two General Assemblies of Judges, the Seoul High Court had set basic conditions that two of the 16 criminal divisions would be designated and that the presiding judges must have at least 17 years of legal experience and 10 years of judicial experience.
The same panel will also handle the case against Han Duck-soo, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, on charges including participation in key duties related to insurrection.
Former President Yoon is accused of conspiring with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and others to declare an unconstitutional and unlawful state of emergency martial law, even though the legal requirements for such a declaration were not met. He is also charged with inciting a violent uprising with the aim of disrupting the constitutional order.
He additionally faces allegations that he mobilized the military and police to blockade the National Assembly, thereby obstructing a vote to lift the emergency martial law. Prosecutors claim he sought to arrest and detain key figures such as Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, Lee Jae-myung, then leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party, as well as staff of the National Election Commission (NEC).
On these charges, former President Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first-instance trial. On the 19th of last month, the trial court imposed a life sentence on Yoon for acting as an insurrection ringleader. The court stated, "It is difficult to deny that former President Yoon harbored the inner intent to paralyze the National Assembly for a considerable period by sending in the military to blockade it and by arresting major politicians, thereby preventing the legislature from functioning properly," adding, "The court also finds that he did in fact deploy troops to incite a violent uprising."
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo and Choi Eun-sol Reporter