The Supreme Court has definitively rejected an appeal from former President Yoon Suk Yeol to disqualify judges in his insurrection case, in which he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial.
On June 12, the Supreme Court's Second Division, led by Justice Oh Kyung-mi, dismissed Yoon's request to disqualify the judges handling his appeal. As a result, the trial, which had been suspended due to the disqualification request, is expected to resume soon.
Yoon's legal team filed the disqualification request on May 13, arguing that they could not expect a fair trial from judges who had publicly expressed a presumption of guilt regarding the insurrection charges against him. The judges in question are part of the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 12-1, which is overseeing Yoon's appeal.
The disqualification request is a provision under criminal procedure law that allows either the prosecution or the defense to seek the removal of a judge if there are concerns about an unfair trial.
The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 12-1 previously sentenced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 15 years in prison for his involvement in insurrection-related duties.
Yoon's team claimed that this situation warranted a disqualification, asserting that the judges had already formed a biased opinion against him based on their comments regarding Han's case.
However, the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 1, presided over by Judge Yoon Sung-sik, dismissed the disqualification request on May 20, stating that the cases involving Yoon and Han are separate criminal matters and that there are no grounds for concerns about an unfair trial. Despite Yoon's objections, the Supreme Court upheld this decision on June 12.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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