Seoul Appellate Court to Hold First Hearing of Yoon Suk Yeol's Appeals Trial

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul appellate court on Thursday was set to hold the first formal hearing of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's appeals trial on charges of leading an insurrection through his failed 2024 martial law bid after a lower court sentenced him to life in prison. The Seoul High Court was scheduled to begin the hearing at 10 a.m., three months after Yoon's conviction over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 when troops were deployed to seal off the National Assembly. Both Yoon and a special counsel team, which had demanded the death penalty, appealed the lower court ruling. Yoon's legal team, however, has filed a recusal of the trial's three judges, which could impact proceedings. By law, trial proceedings have to be suspended until a decision is made on such requests, although exceptions can be made in urgent situations. The trial will also handle cases of seven other officials over their roles in Yoon's martial law bid, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a lower court. The jailed former president has been standing a total of eight trials in connection with his short-lived imposition of martial law, as well as corruption allegations involving his wife and the 2023 death of a Marine.