Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo appeared on the 30th for the first trial in the case in which he was indicted without detention on charges of aiding the ringleader of insurrection.
Han arrived at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, at about 9:40 a.m. that day. To reporters' questions such as "With what mindset did you come to the first trial today," "How do you plan to explain the allegation that you did not fulfill your constitutional duty to stop an insurrection," and "Is your position unchanged that you never received any documents related to martial law," Han gave no answers and entered the courtroom.
The Criminal Agreement Division 33 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jin-gwan, Director General judge) will open the first hearing for Han, who has been indicted on charges including aiding the ringleader of insurrection, starting at 10 a.m. that day.
The court allowed full trial broadcasting that day at the special counsel's request. However, some parts of the evidentiary examination were excluded. Before the trial begins, media outlets are also allowed to film inside the courtroom. Footage recorded by the court for broadcast is expected to be released later on the internet and elsewhere.
The special counsel indicted Han without detention on 6 charges on Aug. 29: aiding the ringleader of insurrection, falsification of official documents and use of falsified official documents, damage to public records, violation of the Act on the Management of Presidential Archives, and perjury.
Han is suspected of having participated in or aided the proclamation of martial law by former President Yoon Suk-yeol on Dec. 3 last year. The allegation is that instead of blocking Yoon's unconstitutional and unlawful declaration of martial law, he recommended convening a Cabinet meeting to give the martial law formal legitimacy.
Han also faces suspicion of involvement in the process in which a new martial law proclamation was drafted and then discarded after Yoon declared martial law. Han is said to have signed a document prepared after the imposition of martial law by former presidential chief of staff Kang Ui-gu, and a few days later requested that they pretend it never happened, saying, "If it becomes known that the document was drafted after the fact, it could spark controversy." The document was ultimately discarded, according to reports.
In addition, Han is suspected of perjury in the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial of the former president and at the National Assembly, to the effect that he "did not recognize the martial law proclamation."