The special counsel for insurrection said on the 24th that it had asked the court to allow a broadcast of the first hearing and bail hearing in the additional indictment case of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, set for the 26th.
Special Counsel Park Ji-young said at a media briefing that morning, "We applied to the Seoul Central District Court this morning to broadcast the first trial date and the bail hearing in the case against the former president indicted by the special counsel," noting, "This is based on Article 11, Paragraph 4 of the current Special Counsel Act on Insurrection, and we applied for the broadcast in consideration of the public's right to know."
Article 11, Paragraph 4 of the Special Counsel Act on Insurrection provides that "if the presiding judge receives an application from the special counsel or the defendant, the judge must permit a broadcast absent special circumstances." However, if the court determines that there are special circumstances to deny a broadcast, the panel may deny it by decision and must state the reasons.
Park said, "First, we applied to broadcast from the start to the end of the trial date and the hearing date on the 26th as the subject of the broadcast," adding, "It will be a method of entering the courtroom and broadcasting live."
Park also said, "In the case of the ongoing trial over being the leader of an insurrection, there were cautious aspects such as witness intimidation and military secrets if the trial were broadcast," adding, "By contrast, this trial does not directly involve state secrets, so we applied first." Park continued, "Whether the application is accepted is up to the court's decision," adding, "We will review applying again after receiving the court's decision."
The Criminal Division 35 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Baek Dae-hyeon, senior judge) will hold the first trial date for former President Yoon starting at 10:15 a.m. on the 26th on charges including obstruction of special official duties, abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights, and drafting false official documents. On the same day starting at 10:30 a.m., the court is also scheduled to hold the bail hearing that the former president applied for.
Meanwhile, the former president did not appear for the special counsel's investigation into foreign exchange allegations related to the insurrection case, which had been scheduled for 10 a.m. that day.