The Supreme Court has decided to live stream the verdict on the appeal of Yoon Suk Yeol regarding charges of obstructing the arrest by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).
According to legal sources on July 7, the Supreme Court's third division, led by Justice Lee Suk-yeon, accepted a request for live broadcasting submitted by the special prosecutor team investigating the insurrection. The live stream will be conducted using the Supreme Court's own equipment to transmit the video to broadcasting companies.
This decision marks a historic first in several respects. It is the first instance of a verdict in an appeal case prosecuted by the three special prosecutor teams (insurrection, Kim Geon-hee, and deceased Marines) being live streamed, and it is also the first time a verdict from a small division, rather than a full bench of justices, will be broadcasted live.
The Supreme Court's ruling comes approximately 1 year and 7 months (583 days) after the declaration of a state of emergency on December 3, marking the first conclusion of an appeal related to Yoon Suk Yeol.
Previously, Yoon's legal team opposed the live broadcast, citing concerns over personal rights, defamation, and the right to a fair trial. However, the Supreme Court dismissed these concerns, citing the provisions for broadcasting permissions under the special prosecutor law.
Yoon was arrested and indicted in July of the previous year on charges of obstructing the execution of a CIO arrest warrant by mobilizing personnel from the Presidential Security Service (obstruction of special public duty and abuse of power).
He is also facing allegations of infringing on the deliberative rights of other cabinet members by convening only a select few during the declaration of the state of emergency, as well as charges of drafting and destroying false proclamations after the emergency was lifted. In April, the Seoul High Court sentenced Yoon to 7 years in prison, which was heavier than the initial 5-year sentence from the first trial.
Meanwhile, the case concerning the insurrection, which is at the core of the state of emergency, is currently undergoing a second trial at the Seoul High Court. The first trial court had sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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