In accordance with the Insurrection Trial Panel Act, judges at the Seoul Central District Court who handle related cases discussed on the 12th the criteria for forming the insurrection-dedicated trial panel and the warrant-committal judges. They did not reach a conclusion, however, and decided to reconvene the full judges' meeting at 2 p.m. on the 19th to continue the discussion.
The Seoul Central District Court held a full judges' meeting around 2 p.m. on the 12th to discuss the criteria for forming the insurrection-dedicated trial panel, chaired by Court President Oh Min-seok. The meeting was held behind closed doors for 4 hours and 20 minutes. An official at the Seoul Central District Court said, "We held diverse and in-depth discussions on the criteria for warrant-committal judges and the composition of the dedicated trial panel."
The meeting was a follow-up to the Special Act on Criminal Procedure for crimes such as insurrection, foreign collusion, and rebellion, which passed the National Assembly led by the Democratic Party of Korea and took effect on the 6th. Judges were said to have discussed the number of dedicated trial panels under the special law, the requirements for judges who will serve as warrant-committal judges and on the dedicated panels, and the basic principles for the allocation of judicial duties this year.
The regular full judges' meeting at the Seoul Central District Court had initially been set for the 19th but was moved up by about a week. The court said it advanced the meeting because "there is a need to promptly appoint warrant-committal judges in case cases subject to warrant review under the special law are filed."
Under the special law, based on the criteria set by the full judges' meeting, the Seoul Central District Court's Committee on Allocation of Duties drafts an allocation plan, and the appointment of judges to the dedicated panel is made after a resolution by the full judges' meeting. An official at the Seoul Central District Court said, "We will make thorough preparations, including through the full judges' meeting, so that cases subject to the special law can be handled fairly and promptly."
The law establishing the insurrection-dedicated trial panels requires that the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul High Court each have two dedicated panels for insurrection, foreign collusion, rebellion, or related cases recognized as being of national importance. As a rule, the dedicated panels are established starting at the first instance, but a supplementary provision allows cases already under trial at the time the law took effect to continue to be heard by the existing panel.
Accordingly, cases such as the former President Yoon's alleged role as an insurrection ringleader, which are awaiting a first-instance verdict, will fall under the dedicated panel from the appeal stage. The Seoul High Court also plans to hold a full judges' meeting on the 15th to discuss criteria for forming the dedicated panel and other matters.
If the second comprehensive special counsel drive pushed by the Democratic Party launches and additional indictments are filed, the dedicated panel at the Seoul Central District Court is expected to take the cases. There is also speculation that cases the insurrection special counsel team handed over to police without completing the investigation could, after indictment, be subject to the dedicated panel depending on the matter.