National Courts Enter Summer Recess… Trials for Insurrection Charges Paused for Two Weeks
All levels of courts across the country will temporarily suspend their trial schedules for the summer recess.
According to the legal community on the 27th, starting today (28th) until the 8th of next month, courts nationwide, including the Seoul Central District Court, will enter the "summer recess."
The Seoul High Court will have an even longer duration of three weeks without scheduled trial dates, resuming on the 15th of next month. The court recess, introduced in 2006, aims to ensure the rest of litigation participants during extreme hot or cold periods. During this time, most civil and criminal hearings and trials will not take place.
The trial for insurrection charges, which has been underway since January, will also not take place for two weeks during this recess. The special prosecutors team, led by Jo Eun-seok, requested to continue the trial during the recess, considering the seriousness of the matter and the timeline for detention.
The special prosecutors argued, "If the defense counsel's schedule does not allow it, we should at least appoint a public defender to proceed," but strong opposition from former President Yoon Suk-yeol's side has led to no additional dates being set so far.
However, not all trials will be halted during the recess. Cases that require expedited handling, such as civil provisional seizures and criminal detention and bail reviews, will proceed as usual.
The special prosecutors team investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee is expected to finalize the schedule for the hearing on the arrest warrant requested for Yoon Young-ho, the former head of the Unification Church, who is a key figure in the 'Geon-jin' solicitation scandal.
Once the recess ends, a full-fledged hearing regarding additional charges against Jo Eun-seok's special prosecutors team related to the illegal martial law of December 3 is anticipated.
The first preparation hearing for charges against former President Yoon for obstruction of special public duty is scheduled for the 19th of next month, while the second preparation hearing for the case against former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun is set for the 11th.
Additionally, trials related to the Daejang-dong, Wirye, Baekhyeon-dong, and Seongnam FC issues will be held every Tuesday starting on the 12th of next month, but will proceed only against Jeong Jin-sang, the former chief of the Democratic Party’s Policy Coordination Office, excluding President Lee Jae-myung.
The first instance ruling for former Democratic Party lawmaker Noh Woong-rae, charged with receiving illegal political funds amounting to 60 million won, is scheduled for the 13th of next month.
Image sources: Former President Yoon Suk-yeol / News1, Seoul Central District Court / News1, reference images to aid understanding of the article / News1
