Sangcheol’s Legal Journal : YouLaw Insights

🗓️ Trial Overview Date: June 23, 2025, 10:15 AM Location: Criminal Division 25, Seoul Central District Court (Judge Ji Gu-yeon presiding) Defendant: Former President Yoon Suk-yeol Special Prosecutor Appearance: Cho Eun-seok’s team, represented in court by Deputy Counsel Park Eok-soo Witnesses: Maj. Gen. Lee Jae-sik (Joint Chiefs of Staff, Crisis Readiness Inspector, Chief of Martial Law Secretariat) Col. Kwon Young-hwan (Former Head of Martial Law Division, JCS) 🔍 Key Issues and Proceedings 1. Special Counsel Assumes Prosecutorial Role This hearing marked the debut of the newly formed Special Counsel team, formally taking over public prosecution duties from the original prosecutors. Deputy Counsel Park sat in the lead prosecutor’s seat and requested expedited proceedings, citing the impending expiration of detention for some defendants. 2. Defense Claims Unconstitutional Abuse of Power Yoon’s legal team (Attorneys Wi Hyun-seok, Bae Bo-yoon) argued...

  🗓️ Hearing Overview Date : June 16, 2025  Location : Seoul Central District Court, Criminal Division 25 (Presiding Judge Ji Gui-yeon) Defendant : Yoon Suk-yeol, Former President of South Korea Key Witness : Kim Cheol-jin, Former Military Aide to Defense Minister 🔎 Key Developments 1. Shift in Yoon's Courtroom Demeanor Former President Yoon, who had largely remained silent in prior hearings, broke his silence during the 7th hearing. He directly addressed the bench, stating his intention to speak after future witness examinations. He criticized the prosecution’s resistance to changes in the witness plan, saying: “Is it because they lack confidence in their case?” Yoon also explained his conduct after the National Assembly passed a resolution to lift martial law, claiming that he: Respected the Assembly's intent despite procedural defects, Ordered his aides to review the National Assembly Act, Drafted a presidential statement for the martial la...

1. Trial Overview Date : June 9, 2025, 10:15 AM Court : Seoul Central District Court, Criminal Division 25 (Presiding Judge Ji Gui-yeon) Defendant : Yoon Seok-yeol (Former President of South Korea) Witness : Lee Sang-hyeon (Brigadier General, Former Commander of the 1st Airborne Brigade, ROK Army Special Warfare Command) 2. Key Proceedings A. Cross-examination of Witness Lee Sang-hyeon “Drag lawmakers out” – Order came from the President Lee reaffirmed that then-Special Forces Commander Gwak Jong-geun conveyed direct orders allegedly from President Yoon: “The President said to break the doors and drag lawmakers out.” Lee testified he relayed this command verbatim to his subordinate battalion commander, explicitly stating it was a “presidential order.” An audio recording of this instruction was played in court, further supporting Lee’s claim. Lee emphasized: “Had I only heard ‘higher command,’ I wouldn’t have described it as the President’s order.” B. De...

[May 26 Trial Recap] Orders to "Drag Out Lawmakers" at Gunpoint: Explosive Testimony and Audio Shake Up the Court On May 26, 2025 , the Seoul Central District Court held the fifth criminal trial against former President Yoon Suk-yeol , accused of leading an attempted insurrection through the illegal declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024. The proceedings revealed striking new developments, including direct military testimony and court-released audio recordings suggesting high-level coordination to forcibly remove lawmakers from the National Assembly. 🔹 Trial Overview Date: May 26, 2025 (10:15 AM) Venue: Seoul Central District Court Presiding Body: Criminal Panel Division 25 Key Attendees: Yoon Suk-yeol (Defendant, former President) Brigadier General Lee Sang-hyun (Commander, 1st Airborne Brigade, Special Warfare Command, Testifying Witness) Prosecutors and Defense Counsel Media and heightened security presence 🔹 Major Trial Dev...

🔍 Trial Overview Date : Monday, May 19, 2025 – 10:15 AM Courtroom : Criminal Division 25, Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge: JI Gui-yeon) Participants : Defendant: Yoon Suk-yeol, former President of South Korea Witnesses: Brigadier General Park Jeong-hwan (Chief of Staff, Army Special Warfare Command) Brigadier General Lee Sang-hyun (Commander, 1st Airborne Brigade) (Scheduled, not examined on this date) 🧾 Main Proceedings ✅ A. Continued Testimony by Brigadier General Park Jeong-hwan Described real-time observation of Gen. Gwak Jong-geun (former Commander of the Special Warfare Command) taking a call from a superior and replying, “We’ll break the door and go in.” Ordered troops to secure the National Assembly , following repeated urgent calls even after deployment had begun. Helicopter insertion began at 11:08 PM on Dec 3, 2024. Orders such as “Break the windows,” “Pull the lawmakers out,” “Stop the vote” were conveyed by Gen....

Hello everyone, Today’s post brings a critical update on one of the most closely watched legal proceedings in South Korea – the ongoing trial of former President Yoon Suk-yeol . On May 12, 2025 , the 3rd trial session was held at the Seoul Central District Court , attracting public and media attention due to newly revealed military testimonies that could significantly influence the outcome of the case. Let’s dive into what happened during this key session – including damaging witness statements , the defense’s reaction , and what we can expect in the next round. ⚖️ Trial Overview Date: May 12, 2025 (Monday), 10:15 AM Location: Seoul Central District Court, Criminal Division 25 (Judge Ji Gui-yeon), Room 417 Key Participants: Defendant: Former President Yoon Suk-yeol Witnesses: Captain Oh Sang-bae (former aide to the Commander of the Capital Defense Command) Brigadier General Park Jeong-hwan (Chief of Staff, Special Warfare Command) 🗣️ Testimony 1...

  👋 Introduction: When Politics and Law Collide Hello, and welcome. What happens when the timeline of politics and the timeline of justice crash into each other? In South Korea today, one name sits at the center of this collision: Lee Jae-myung , the presidential candidate from the Democratic Party. While elections are always political, the current controversy is deeply legal as well. That’s because Lee is currently facing multiple high-profile court cases — including charges related to election law and major development scandals. But it's not just the nature of the cases that matters. It's the timing . With the presidential election drawing near, the judiciary's decisions are being seen not only as legal moves — but as potential political interference . ⚖️ Trial Postponed: Why Was the Court Date Moved? Recently, the Seoul High Court postponed the first hearing in Lee Jae-myung's election law violation case. Originally set for May 15, the trial has now ...