South Korea’s Ousted Leader Yoon Suk Yeol Faces Criminal Trial

South Korea’s Ousted Leader Yoon Suk Yeol Faces Criminal Trial

Following his removal from office, Yoon returned to his private residence, where he was greeted by crowds of conservative supporters.

RMN News Story

Impeached former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is due in court today, Monday, April 14, 2025, to face a criminal trial on charges of insurrection. The trial, held at the Seoul Central District Court, comes after his removal from office earlier this month by the Constitutional Court. Yoon, who has denied all charges against him, is legally required to attend the first hearing as a defendant in a criminal trial.

The charges stem from Yoon’s declaration of martial law in December, an action that triggered a high-stakes political crisis. Yoon stated that martial law was necessary to root out “anti-state” elements. However, this declaration was lifted six hours later after parliamentary staffers resisted special operations soldiers attempting to enter parliament, where lawmakers ultimately voted to reject the martial law order.

The Constitutional Court stated that Yoon’s martial law declaration on December 3 shocked South Koreans and created chaos across society, the economy, and foreign policy. The court further labelled his actions as “a serious challenge to democracy” and cited this as a violation of his constitutional powers leading to his removal.

The charge of insurrection carries a severe penalty, punishable by life imprisonment or even death, although South Korea has not carried out an execution in decades.

The upheaval following Yoon’s actions has intensified the deep social divisions between conservatives and liberals and increased pressure on institutions and the military, which reportedly faced a dilemma regarding the enforcement of martial law.

Two senior military officers are expected to appear as witnesses during the criminal hearing on Monday. One of them, Cho Sung-hyun from the army’s capital defence command, previously testified at the Constitutional Court in February. 

Cho stated that he was ordered to dispatch troops to “drag” lawmakers out of parliament during Yoon’s attempted implementation of martial law, an allegation that Yoon has refuted.

Following his removal from office, Yoon returned to his private residence on Friday, where he was greeted by crowds of conservative supporters. He has remained defiant and has pledged to “stand by” his supporters.

South Korea is now set to hold a snap election on June 3. Questions remain regarding the potential role Yoon might still play in the political landscape.