SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - Disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday was cleared of perjury charges, one of several allegations related to his botched martial law debacle.
Yoon had been accused of making false accounts during former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's trial, which was also related to the debacle.
During the trial in November last year, when asked whether he had planned from the beginning to convene a Cabinet meeting before declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon testified that he intended to do so because legal requirements had to be met.
Prosecutors alleged that he had only moved to convene the meeting at Han's proposal and sought a two-year prison sentence for him.
But the Seoul Central District Court said in its ruling that it appeared "highly likely" that Yoon had already planned to hold the meeting, regardless of any proposal from Han. The court added that it could not conclude that Yoon's testimony in court was inconsistent with his memory.
Meanwhile, Yoon, who was ousted from office on April 4 last year after the Constitutional Court of Korea unanimously upheld his impeachment, had already been sentenced to life imprisonment on major charges of insurrection and abuse of power related to the debacle, along with several other charges pending appeal.
Yoon had been accused of making false accounts during former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's trial, which was also related to the debacle.
During the trial in November last year, when asked whether he had planned from the beginning to convene a Cabinet meeting before declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon testified that he intended to do so because legal requirements had to be met.
Prosecutors alleged that he had only moved to convene the meeting at Han's proposal and sought a two-year prison sentence for him.
But the Seoul Central District Court said in its ruling that it appeared "highly likely" that Yoon had already planned to hold the meeting, regardless of any proposal from Han. The court added that it could not conclude that Yoon's testimony in court was inconsistent with his memory.
Meanwhile, Yoon, who was ousted from office on April 4 last year after the Constitutional Court of Korea unanimously upheld his impeachment, had already been sentenced to life imprisonment on major charges of insurrection and abuse of power related to the debacle, along with several other charges pending appeal.
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