Politics·4/27/2026AI summary Appeals Court Holds First Hearing in Former President Yoon's Insurrection Trial
Seoul High Court held the first preliminary hearing Monday for former President Yoon Suk Yeol's insurrection appeal after a lower court sentenced him to life imprisonment in February. Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, was voted down by the National Assembly, leading to his impeachment and removal from office. Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team had demanded the death penalty at the lower court. The former president, currently in custody, was absent from the session. Co-defendant former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun's lawyers requested the court seek the Constitutional Court's judgment on the trial bench's constitutionality.