Yeo In-hyung, the former head of South Korea's military intelligence, has been fined for failing to appear as a witness in the appeal trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is accused of leading a coup and abusing his power.
On August 18, the Seoul High Court's dedicated coup trial division (Judges Lee Seung-cheol, Jo Jin-goo, and Kim Min-ah) issued the fine after Yeo did not show up for the hearing involving Yoon and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.
Yeo was scheduled to testify, but his legal team submitted a notice stating that he could not attend due to the need for consultations with his attorney regarding unrelated charges. The court found this explanation insufficient, stating, "It is difficult to consider this a valid reason for absence. We are quite surprised that he submitted a notice of absence after indicating he would attend."
According to Article 151, Section 1 of the Criminal Procedure Act, a witness who fails to appear without a valid reason may be fined up to 5 million won. However, the court did not specify the amount of the fine for Yeo.
To enhance the efficiency of the witness examination process, the court plans to expedite the review of confidential evidence requested by Yeo's legal team and conduct focused questioning that includes sensitive information. Additionally, to prevent delays caused by the special prosecutor's repeated submissions of new evidence, the court has instructed the prosecution to complete all evidence submissions by the end of August.
Following Yeo's absence, the court separated the arguments for the defendant, former National Police Agency Planning and Coordination Officer Yoon Seung-young, and rescheduled Yeo's testimony for September 7 and 10. Although afternoon sessions were initially considered, the court ultimately decided on morning sessions starting at 10 a.m. to ensure procedural efficiency.
After concluding the hearing, the court transitioned to a preparatory procedure for reviewing confidential records. The legal teams for Yoon and Kim were informed of strict security protocols regarding the confidentiality of the evidence.
Considering the potential for delays due to witness absences or other circumstances, the court also preemptively set trial dates for October. It aimed to maintain continuity in the proceedings while avoiding conflicts with other related trials. The confirmed trial dates are October 1, 6, 8, and 15.
The court advised, "You should keep Thursdays open for future hearings, as they will likely continue to be scheduled on that day," and indicated that additional dates, such as Tuesdays, may be assigned if necessary.
Yeo is facing charges related to his actions during the December 3 martial law declaration, including deploying troops to the National Assembly and the Central Election Management Committee in Gyeonggi Province and organizing a task force to arrest politicians. His first trial verdict is set for September 21.
He is also charged with conspiring with Yoon to create conditions for the martial law declaration by ordering the deployment of drones to Pyongyang around October 2024, for which he received a 15-year prison sentence in the first trial.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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