Judge Director General Ji Gwi-yeon, who is presiding over the first trial of former President Yoon Suk-yeol's rebellion charges, noted on the 8th that "the rebellion trial is expected to conclude in December."
On that day, Judge Director General Ji, who is presiding over the Criminal Division 25 of the Seoul Central District Court, said that in the trial concerning former President Yoon's rebellion charge and abuse of power allegations, "we have conducted nearly 60 hearings to date on the three cases of defendants Yoon Suk-yeol, Kim Yong-hyun, and Jo Ji-ho," adding, "we plan to hold over 50 additional hearings by December of this year."
The Criminal Division 25 is responsible for three rebellion trials: the case of former President Yoon's rebellion charge, the case involving former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun and other former military personnel, and the case involving Chief of the Korean National Police Agency Jo Ji-ho and other police leadership.
Judge Director General Ji stated, "While the three cases are currently proceeding separately, the key issues and evidence are common, and we are efficiently conducting the investigation and hearings by accepting witness statements from other cases as evidence," adding, "we anticipate merging the three cases into one for concluding the hearings in the future."
He reiterated, "If the special prosecutor and defense attorneys cooperate smoothly, we expect to conclude the hearings around December or so."
Meanwhile, former President Yoon did not attend the trial today, prompting the court to proceed with a trial in absentia, continuing the formal proceedings without the defendant present. Since his arrest on the 10th of last month, former President Yoon has missed eight consecutive trials up to today.