South Korea’s ex-president attends first day of criminal trial

Experts say his criminal trial is likely to be a lengthy one.

“The first verdict is likely to be delivered around August, but the case involves around 70,000 pages of evidence and numerous witnesses. So if deemed necessary by the court, the trial may be extended,” lawyer Min Kyoung-sic told AFP.

Former president Park Geun-hye, for example, was impeached in December 2016 – but it wasn’t until January 2021 that the Supreme Court finalised her sentence for influence peddling and corruption.

If found guilty, Yoon would become the third South Korean president to be found guilty of insurrection – after two military leaders in connection to a 1979 coup.

“Legal experts say that the precedent coup could be applied in the current case, as it also involved the coercive deployment of military forces,” said Min.

For charges of insurrection, Yoon could be sentenced to life in prison or the maximum penalty: the death sentence.

But is it highly unlikely that sentence would be carried out. South Korea has had an unofficial moratorium on executions since 1997.