SEOUL: South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol denied on Monday he had committed insurrection, as the impeached ex-leader appeared in court for the opening of his criminal trial over his martial law declaration. Yoon attended the trial at Seoul Central District Court and was asked by the justices to state his name, date of birth and other personal information.
The former president has denied the charges against him and took to the stand on Monday to defend himself. "To frame an event that lasted only a few hours, (that) was non-violent, and (to have) immediately accepted the dissolution request from the National Assembly as insurrection... strikes me as legally unfounded," Yoon told the court.
Yoon, himself a former prosecutor, asked the court to display the prosecution's presentation on a courtroom monitor, and proceeded to rebut their opening statement point by point. The prosecution argued that Yoon "planned to incite an uprising with the intent to subvert the constitutional order". They gave evidence including Yoon's planning of the martial law in advance. — AFP
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