Yoon Suk Yeol Acquitted in First Trial Over Perjury Allegations in Han Duck-soo Case... "Yoon Planned to Convene the State Council from the Start"

[Financial News] Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was indicted on charges of perjury in the trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo over insurrection-related allegations, was acquitted in the first trial. The court found that Yoon appeared to have planned to convene a State Council meeting from the outset, regardless of whether Han had made the proposal.
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 32, presided over by Chief Judge Ryu Kyung-jin, acquitted Yoon on the perjury charge on the 28th. Yoon, who appeared in court wearing his usual navy suit and white shirt, was also seen smiling and talking with his lawyer before and after the hearing.
The court said, "The facts charged in this case fall under a situation in which the crime has not been proven," and handed down an acquittal.
Yoon was indicted for allegedly giving false testimony when he appeared as a witness in November last year in Han Duck-soo's trial on charges of participating in key duties related to insurrection. Prosecutors said he falsely testified as if he had planned to hold a State Council meeting before Han's proposal during the Dec. 3 martial law declaration.
At the time, the Special Prosecutor's Team for Insurrection asked whether Han had proposed convening the State Council to give the move a lawful appearance. Yoon replied, "The ministers are not dolls who came here just to create an appearance. Isn't that too much of a question shaped by your own intent?"
The special prosecution team viewed the remark as false testimony meaning, in effect, that he had intended to hold the State Council from the beginning, and indicted Yoon again in December last year.
However, the court said that, based on the circumstances on the day martial law was declared and the testimony of those involved, Yoon had been planning to summon additional State Council members regardless of whether Han made the proposal. It also noted that the ministers to be called for a second round had already been identified after the first meeting that day.
The court also explained that Yoon's remarks were not specific statements of fact contrary to his memory, which would be punishable as perjury, but rather "an opinion or a subjective assessment."
Earlier, the special prosecution team had sought a two-year prison sentence for Yoon at the closing hearing last month. In his final statement, Yoon argued that he had intended from the outset to hold a State Council meeting, saying that he had deeply considered the issue even during preparations for martial law.
Meanwhile, the three special prosecutors have filed a total of eight cases against Yoon. Most of the cases brought by the Special Prosecutor's Team for Insurrection have already moved into the appeals or final appeal stage, while only the General espionage case is scheduled for a first-trial verdict on June 12.
The case involving allegations of free opinion polls, filed by the Special Prosecutor's Team for Kim Kun-hee, is also scheduled for a verdict on June 23. Other cases, including allegations of false statements during the presidential campaign and the case filed by the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Team over alleged external pressure on an investigation and the appointment of a fugitive ambassador to Australia, are currently being tried in the first instance.
 
scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter