Yoon Suk Yeol, the former president, was acquitted again in an appeals court on charges of perjury related to his testimony in the trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is accused of insurrection.
The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 1, led by Judge Yoon Seong-sik, issued the not guilty verdict on September 16, maintaining the same decision as the first trial. The special prosecutor's team had sought a fine of 10 million won during the appeals court's closing arguments.
The court ruled that Yoon's statement during the trial, claiming he had planned to hold a Cabinet meeting before Han's suggestion on the day martial law was declared, could not be definitively classified as false testimony. It stated, "It is difficult to believe that the defendant was unaware of the need for Cabinet deliberation when declaring martial law, given his position and experience." The court added that it was reasonable to assume he was trying to meet the minimum legal requirements for declaring martial law.
The court also noted that documents to be presented were prepared before former Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok arrived at the scene, supporting Yoon's testimony.
In November of last year, during the trial concerning Han's alleged insurrection-related duties, Yoon testified that he had intended to convene a Cabinet meeting before Han's suggestion. The special prosecutor's office argued that Yoon initially had no intention of holding a meeting and only gathered six Cabinet members after hearing Han's suggestion to meet the quorum. They charged him with perjury, claiming his assertion that he had prepared for the meeting from the start was a clear falsehood.
The first trial court had ruled that Yoon's claim of having intended to convene a meeting from the outset was merely a subjective evaluation or opinion and not subject to perjury charges, leading to an acquittal. The appeals court upheld this judgment.
Immediately following the verdict, Yoon's legal team expressed their satisfaction and criticized the special prosecutor's office. In an official statement, they thanked the appeals court for rejecting the special prosecutor's "delusions" and upholding the rule of law.
They further asserted that the ruling clearly demonstrated there was no causal relationship between Han's suggestion and the Cabinet meeting, arguing that if the meeting was not due to Han's suggestion, then Han could not be charged with insurrection-related duties.
Meanwhile, the special prosecutor's office plans to carefully review the appeals court's ruling before deciding whether to file a further appeal.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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