심판의 시간: 윤석열 전 대통령을 향한 사법의 칼날과 엇갈리는 명운 > K-wave Trends

The 2nd Comprehensive Special Prosecutors Team summoned former President Yoon Seok-yeol as a suspect 101 days after its inauguration, speeding up the investigation. The core of this investigation is whether, immediately after the declaration of martial law on December 3, former President Yoon mobilized relevant agencies such as the National Security Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ordered friendly countries to deliver a message explaining the legitimacy of martial law. The special prosecutor strongly suspects that the President was directly involved in the process of the National Security Office creating an English translation through the National Intelligence Service and explaining it to CIA officials in Korea. Former President Yoon's side strongly denies these charges, saying he never gave detailed instructions, but the special prosecutor is not stopping his all-round investigation to prove the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

Even though this summons investigation was conducted privately, the area in front of the special prosecutor's office was a scene of tension and crowds supporting former President Yoon. During the investigation, former President Yoon's side raised a procedural issue that prosecutors should directly interrogate him, and even got into a sharp confrontation with the special prosecutor, including getting into a fight. Nevertheless, former President Yoon, who completed the investigation without exercising his right to refuse to make a statement, is scheduled to be summoned once again on the 13th in connection with the charge of being the leader of the rebellion under the Military Criminal Act. This suggests that it is expanding beyond simple abuse of power to a full-scale investigation into charges of rebellion that shook the foundation of the country, and shows that the weight of judicial responsibility is gradually increasing.

The flow of the investigation is expected to reach another watershed moment in the first trial of the 'Pyongyang drone deployment operation' scheduled for the 12th. The special prosecutor requested a heavy sentence of 30 years in prison, considering that former President Yoon ordered an operation to stimulate North Korea to create a justification for martial law, which led to the leak of military secrets, and that he was guilty of general conspiracy. The fate of key figures, including former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun and former ROK Armed Forces Counterintelligence Command commander Yeo Yeo-hyeong, who were also indicted, will also be decided by the court's decision today. As the trial, which had been held in private due to sensitive issues related to national security, has been converted to a public hearing for sentencing, the impact of the court's conclusion on our society is expected to be significant.

The judicial risk surrounding former President Yoon is not limited to martial law-related cases. The trial on charges of publishing false facts, such as his relationship with Jeon Seong-bae of Geonjinbeop when he was a presidential candidate and the suspicion of introducing a lawyer related to former Yongsan Tax Office chief Yoon Woo-jin, is also approaching its conclusion. In particular, this case goes beyond simple criminal punishment and involves a huge financial responsibility that requires the People Power Party to return the 39.7 billion won it received from the National Election Commission if a fine of more than 1 million won is confirmed. This trial, where arguments will conclude on the 8th and sentencing is scheduled for the 10th of next month, is evaluated as a major issue that will determine the political and economic fate of the political party beyond the judicial condemnation of the former president.

Meanwhile, the trials of related people, which had been paused due to local elections, are also picking up speed again. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's trial on charges of violating the Political Fund Act and Daegu Mayor-elect Choo Kyung-ho's trial on charges of engaging in important civil war missions will resume sequentially from the 10th. In particular, President-elect Choo's trial deals with charges that he interfered with the vote to lift martial law by frequently changing the location of the National Assembly's general meeting during martial law, so it is expected to play an important role in identifying the tense situation within the National Assembly at the time and who was responsible. In addition, the first trial of former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun on perjury charges is scheduled for the 11th, and the South Korean judiciary is ready to make a series of judgments on large-scale suspicions starting this week.