At the second trial on charges that former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo aided the ringleaders of insurrection, the court allowed a live relay of evidence examination of the presidential office's closed-circuit (CC)TV footage from the day of the Dec. 3 emergency martial law, which is classified as military secrets.
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Agreement Division 33 (Presiding Judge Lee Jin-gwan) said on the 13th at the second trial of the case against the former prime minister on charges including aiding the ringleaders of insurrection, perjury, and drafting and using false official documents that it would relay the evidence examination of the CCTV in question. The footage reportedly includes scenes of the former prime minister holding documents related to martial law. Earlier, the panel allowed a broadcast of the trial at the request of the special counsel team for the insurrection case.
The special counsel team said it received an official letter from the Presidential Security Service regarding declassification of the presidential office CCTV military secrets and asked the court to allow a live relay of the evidence examination, saying it "is interpreted as permitting a live relay." Footage recorded by the presidential office CCTV is classified as third-degree military secrets.
Initially, the special counsel team requested a broadcast of the trial excluding the CCTV that falls under military secrets, but at the first hearing of the case held on the 30th of last month, it said it would proceed with disclosure after completing the declassification process.
The special counsel team continued, "Watching the entire footage would take 32 hours, but we will present a summarized edited version in a PPT and conduct the evidence examination in about 20 minutes."
In response, the court said, "The official letter from the Security Service states that disclosure of secrets related to (the former prime minister's) trial is possible, but disclosure of secrets outside the trial is not," and added, "We need to review whether problems would arise if the CCTV content is broadcast, but since the special counsel team submitted the position that a live relay is possible and answered in the same vein in court just now, we will proceed with a relay for the CCTV portion."
Earlier, on Aug. 29, the special counsel team for the insurrection case indicted the former prime minister without detention on six charges, including aiding the ringleaders of insurrection, drafting false official documents and using falsely drafted official documents, damage to public documents, violation of the Act on the Management of Presidential Records, and perjury.
At the first hearing, when asked by the court, "Do you think the Dec. 3 emergency martial law was constitutional or unconstitutional?" the former prime minister said, "Martial law is, when viewed from the perspective of advancing the nation, a situation that is difficult to accept—that is what I would say."
After completing the CCTV evidence examination in the morning, the court plans to conduct witness questioning of former Unification Minister Kim Young-ho in the afternoon session.