The appeal trial of Yoon Suk Yeol, accused of leading an insurrection, is expected to enter its final stages in early November. The court indicated that it could conclude final statements by around November 5, raising the possibility of a ruling by the end of the year.
According to Yonhap News, the Seoul High Court's dedicated insurrection trial division, Criminal 12-1, announced during a hearing on the 15th that it will conduct witness examinations of Yoon on the 22nd and 27th, followed by the conclusion procedures starting on the 29th. This conclusion process will involve hearing the prosecution's final arguments and sentencing requests, as well as the defense's closing statements and Yoon's final remarks. The court proposed to wrap up this process during hearings on the 29th, as well as on November 3 and 5.
The court anticipates that final statements could be completed by November 5. If the proceedings conclude as scheduled, the court will then set a date for the ruling. In the first trial, arguments were completed on January 9 of this year, with a ruling delivered on February 19. Considering this precedent, there is speculation that the appeal trial could also see a ruling by the end of the year. The first trial sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment, while the special prosecution team sought the death penalty.
This appeal trial was filed with the Seoul High Court on March 4. If the arguments conclude on November 5, the trial will have been ongoing for about eight months since its filing. The special prosecution law stipulates that cases prosecuted by special prosecutors must be ruled on within six months from the date of indictment for the first trial, and within three months from the ruling date for the second and third trials. Yoon's case exceeded the first trial timeline, as the first trial was indicted in January 2025 and ruled in February 2026, and if the appeal trial also sees a ruling by the end of the year, it will exceed the three-month timeline for the second trial. However, the law does not specify any penalties for exceeding these timeframes.
The first trial court determined that Yoon's actions of declaring a state of emergency and sending troops to the National Assembly constituted a rebellion aimed at paralyzing the functions of the Assembly. Yoon's defense has maintained that the emergency declaration was intended to address the crisis stemming from government mismanagement and the opposition's actions, asserting his innocence.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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