As the first trial of the incident additionally charged by the special prosecution approaches, former President Yoon Suk-yeol's side has requested to postpone the date.
According to the legal community on the 17th, Yoon's side submitted a request to change the court preparation date to the 14th in the Criminal Division 35 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Director General Baek Dae-hyun). The court preparation date is a procedure to confirm the defendant's stance on the criminal charges and to set a plan for evidence examination prior to the formal trial. Unlike formal trials, the defendant is not required to attend.
The trial regarding the charges against former President Yoon for interference with special official duties, abuse of power, and the creation of false documents is scheduled for its first preparation date on the 19th.
Yoon's side contended in the application that they have not received the relevant investigation records from the special prosecution and that the appointment of legal counsel has not been completed, thus making it impossible to prepare their argument.
It has been reported that the court has not yet decided on the change.
Earlier, the special prosecution team led by Cho Eun-seok forwarded the case against former President Yoon to trial while he was in custody on the 19th of last month.
Former President Yoon is accused of infringing on the constitutional rights of nine cabinet members by convening only a partial meeting before the declaration of the state of emergency on Dec. 3 last year, thus preventing attendance. He is also accused of creating a false declaration of the state of emergency, as if it had been done by former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, who signed the document, and of destroying and disposing of this document, which is a presidential record and public document.
He is also accused of ordering the deletion of communications records from former Army Counterintelligence Command Chief Yeo In-hyeong and others in preparation for the investigation and of preventing the execution of an arrest warrant by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in January of this year.
The trial regarding the charges of insurrection and abuse of power against former President Yoon, which were prosecuted by the special investigation headquarters of the prosecution, is currently underway in Criminal Division 25 (Director General Ji Gwi-yeon).
Yoon's side has been absent from the trial four consecutive times since his re-arrest on the 10th of last month.