The court has allowed live coverage of the third trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is accused of aiding insurrection. Earlier, the court also allowed coverage of the first and second hearings of the case, held on Sept. 30 and Oct. 13.
The Criminal Agreement Division 33 of the Seoul Central District Court (presiding judge Lee Jin-gwan, chief judge) said on Feb. 17 that it accepted the special counsel's request for live coverage of the insurrection case and will allow coverage of the third hearing on charges including aiding the ringleader of insurrection against the former prime minister, scheduled for Feb. 20. From 10 a.m., when the hearing begins, until it ends, the proceedings will be filmed by court cameras and, after personal information protection procedures, will be made available online.
The panel said it allowed coverage under Article 11 of the Special Prosecutor Act on Insurrection. The provision stipulates that if the special counsel or the defendant applies, coverage must be permitted absent special circumstances.
Earlier, on Aug. 29, the special counsel on insurrection indicted the former prime minister without detention on six charges, including aiding the ringleader of insurrection, falsifying official documents and using falsified official documents, damaging public records, violating the Act on the Management of Presidential Records, and perjury.
The former prime minister is accused of participating in or aiding the proclamation of martial law by former President Yoon Suk-yeol on Dec. 3 last year. He is also suspected of involvement in the process in which a new martial law proclamation was drafted and then scrapped after Yoon declared martial law. In addition, he faces allegations that he committed perjury by saying in the impeachment trial of Yoon and at the National Assembly that he "did not recognize the proclamation of martial law."
Meanwhile, at the second hearing, the panel allowed live coverage of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the presidential office on Dec. 3, the day martial law was imposed, which is classified as military secrets. Accordingly, portions of the presidential office CCTV footage showing the situation on the day of martial law were disclosed. The footage included scenes of the former prime minister holding documents related to martial law.