SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - Former President Yoon Suk Yeol returned to the Seoul Central District Court on Monday for the fifth hearing in his trial on charges of insurrection and abuse of power. It was his third time entering through the main public entrance. As in previous appearances, he passed reporters in silence, offering no comment on the Dec. 3 martial law declaration or whether he intended to address the public ahead of the Jun. 3 presidential election.
The May 26 hearing is the final session scheduled before voters go to the polls. The next hearing is set for Jun. 9. The case is being heard at the Seoul Central District Court. Lee Sang-hyun, commander of the Army’s Special Warfare Command, is expected to take the stand, with testimony focused on military deployments and the command structure in place the night martial law was imposed.
Meanwhile, police have launched an investigation into the deletion of encrypted phone records linked to Yoon, former National Intelligence Service Deputy Director Hong Jang-won, and former Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong-sik. According to investigators, the records were wiped remotely on Dec. 6, three days after the martial law order.
The deletion came to light during a forensic review of logs voluntarily submitted by the Presidential Security Service. In total, 19 devices, including Yoon’s own phone, are now under examination. The police said that the deletions were carried out by the security service, but it remains unclear who gave the order.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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