Kim Yong-hyun trial begins

[Anchor]

The trial of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was arrested and indicted in connection with the emergency martial law situation, began today (1.16).

The former minister's side argued that the judiciary has no authority to judge the political actions of the president and requested the dismissal of the charges themselves.

Reporter Park Kyung-jun has the details.

[Report]

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun is accused of advising President Yoon Suk Yeol to declare emergency martial law and directing the deployment of troops to the National Assembly and other locations.

He was the first among those indicted on charges of insurrection to face trial today.

This comes 44 days after the emergency martial law situation.

[Lee Ha-sang/Defense Attorney for Kim Yong-hyun: "The president is in a situation of illegal arrest, and he may feel that the situation is serious, so he has the will to speak if he has something to argue..."]

Although former Minister Kim appeared in court today, he did not make any direct statements.

His legal team claimed that "the declaration of emergency martial law is the exclusive authority of the president" and argued that "the judiciary has no authority to judge the political actions of the president."

[Lee Ha-sang/Defense Attorney for Kim Yong-hyun: "How can the prosecutor prove the legitimacy of the president's declaration of emergency martial law? This is a case without jurisdiction, so we requested the court to immediately dismiss the charges."]

In response, the prosecution countered that "if the emergency martial law constitutes a crime, it is subject to judicial review" and stated that "the prosecution's authority to initiate an investigation was recognized even during the detention review process."

Both sides also disagreed on whether to merge the trial with that of other defendants, including Police Chief Cho Ji-ho, who are also facing insurrection charges.

The former minister's side opposed the court's proposal for concentrated hearings two to three times a week, claiming it would infringe on the defendant's right to defense.

The court plans to hold another preparatory hearing on Feb. 6 to decide on the merger of cases and other matters.

This is KBS News, Park Kyung-jun.