[Trial Recap] 14th Hearing in Sedition Trial of Yoon Suk-yeol (Aug 18, 2025)

 

🗓️ Hearing Overview

  • Date & Time: Monday, August 18, 2025, 10:15 (KST)

  • Venue: Seoul Central District Court, Criminal Division 25 (Presiding Judge Ji Gui-yeon)

  • Defendant: Former President Yoon Suk-yeol (absent for the 5th consecutive time; proceedings held in absentia)

  • Witness: Sgt. Lee Min-su, Republic of Korea Army (Capital Defense Command) — driver/NCO assigned to then-Commander Lee Jin-woo (command vehicle operator)

1) Key Issues & Proceedings

A. In-Absentia Proceeding

  • The court proceeded without the defendant under Criminal Procedure Act Art. 277-2, noting that any disadvantage from non-appearance is borne by the defendant.

  • Defense stated Yoon will appear when his health allows.

2) Witness Examination

A. Witness: Sgt. Lee Min-su

  • Affiliation: ROKA Capital Defense Command (SUBANGSA)

  • Role at the time: Driver and executive NCO for Commander Lee Jin-woo (operated the commander’s official vehicle)

  • Vehicle/Task: Kia Carnival command vehicle en route to the National Assembly

B. Core Testimony

  1. “We can declare martial law again.”

    • On Dec 3, 2024, while near the National Assembly, Sgt. Lee says he personally overheard a phone call in which Yoon told Commander Lee Jin-woo that “martial law can be done again.”

    • He explained the change from earlier investigative statements (“I don’t recall”) by saying he was ashamed of staying silent despite knowing the facts.

  2. Reference to using “guns … if necessary”

    • In a second call, he recalls hearing a remark implying the use of firearms (remembered as “use/shoot if necessary”).

  3. Black-box recording

    • Regarding the drive to the Assembly, he testified that he deleted the command vehicle’s black-box footage, interpreting the aide (then-Lt. Oh Sang-bae) as instructing deletion.

3) Notable Points

  • Sgt. Lee was reportedly called earlier than originally planned at the request of the defense.

  • The defense appeared to expect his prior investigative statements to undercut earlier testimony by Lt. Oh Sang-bae; however, Lee’s in-court account aligned closely with Oh’s details, which heightened pressure on the defendant’s side.

🔁 Contested Themes

  • Defense: Continuing non-appearance due to health; no separate objection to in-absentia proceedings at this stage.

  • Special Counsel: Reinforced the Dec 3 communications with firsthand, on-scene testimony from the commander’s driver/NCO, stressing the convergence between the “re-declare martial law” remark and the firearms reference with prior witness accounts.


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