"Pyongyang drone incursion" allegations have led to additional charges against former President Yoon Suk-yeol, and whether his detention will be extended will be decided through a court hearing on the 23rd.
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 36 (Presiding Judge Lee Jeong-yeop) on the 1st held the first preparatory hearing for former President Yoon, former Minister Kim Yong-hyun of the Ministry of National Defense, former Defense Counterintelligence Command chief Yeo In-hyeong, and former Drone Operations Command chief Kim Yong-dae.
Former President Yoon, the former Minister, and the former commander have been brought to trial on charges including general benefit to the enemy and abuse of authority, and the former commander Kim on charges including obstruction of official duties by fraud and instigation to draft false official documents.
At the request of special counsel team chief Cho Eun-suk, the court decided to hold a detention hearing for former President Yoon on the 23rd. Detention hearings for the former Minister Kim and former commander Yeo are scheduled for the 12th and 16th, respectively. A detention hearing is a procedure in which the court hears from prosecutors and defendants to determine the necessity of detention.
Former President Yoon was indicted and detained in January this year on charges including leading an insurrection, then was temporarily released in March by the court's decision. In July, he was detained again on charges including obstruction of special official duties. His detention period runs until Jan. 18 next year, with the Criminal Procedure Act allowing up to six months of detention at the first trial. However, if separate cases or charges are added, the court may extend detention upon review.
At the preparatory hearing, the court said that because the case involves numerous state secrets, it will decide whether to close future proceedings to the public depending on the issues.
The formal trial will begin on Jan. 12 next year. The court plans to hold hearings twice a week in January, three times a week in February, and four times a week from March until the completion of evidence examination.
In response, the defense team for former President Yoon objected to the trial schedule, saying, "If we have trials three to four times a week, including those already underway, a fair trial will be difficult," but the court maintained the plan, saying it is unavoidable given schedules such as the Lunar New Year holiday.
The special counsel team said former President Yoon and others are suspected of sending a drone into Pyongyang in Oct. last year to provoke North Korea into raising military tensions and to use that as a pretext for declaring martial law. The drone crashed near Pyongyang, and the special counsel team believes this led to the leakage of military secrets, constituting a "general benefit to the enemy" offense.
The offense of general benefit to the enemy applies regardless of collusion with the enemy when Korea's military interests are harmed or when military benefits are provided to an enemy state.