Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in a Seoul court on Monday, starting the trial on charges of uprising and treason after announcing martial law in a December budget dispute.
Yoon, 64, arrived at Seoul’s Central District Court through an underground parking lot to avoid public contact, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
Yoon has a chance to respond to the charges after the prosecutor read out the indictment at the beginning of Monday’s meeting. South Korean media reported that the court could start hearing witness testimony later that day.
The allegations stem from an escalation in December, when Yoon declared martial law, amid a fierce controversy over the state budget. It was brief, but fell into political unrest in South Korea.
Yoon justifies his measures by accusing opposition to act on the state and being infiltrated by communists, although no evidence has been provided to support these claims.
Yoon was impeached for his relocation and was formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court on April 4.
Military witnesses testified that Yin ordered soldiers to force the evacuation of lawmakers from the room to prevent a vote that could invalidate the martial law declaration. Yoon repeatedly denied the allegations in the public statement.
If convicted, Yoon faces potential life imprisonment. Although the death penalty has never been carried out in South Korea since the late 1990s, it is still legally possible.
