Yoon in court goes public

[Anchor]

Today (Apr. 21), the second trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is charged with leading an insurrection, was held, and some images of the former president as a defendant were made public.

The witness, a commander of the martial law forces, and the defense team of former President Yoon engaged in a heated debate over the deployment of military forces to the National Assembly.

Lee Ho-jun reports.

[Report]

Three minutes before the trial began, former President Yoon, wearing a red tie, entered the courtroom.

With a somewhat stiff expression, he briefly greeted his lawyers and then looked straight ahead without acknowledging the press.

This is the first time that the media has captured photos and videos of former President Yoon undergoing a criminal trial for insurrection charges.

[Judge Jee Kui-youn/Chief Judge of the Seoul Central District Court: "The court allowed photography in the courtroom only before the trial began, after following proper procedures, such as consulting both the prosecution and the defendant, and considering the public's interest and right to know."]

This time, the defense team of former President Yoon primarily conducted cross-examinations of witnesses, including Cho Seong-hyeon, the head of the Capital Defense Command, and Kim Hyung-ki, the commander of the Special Forces Brigade, who appeared consecutively after the first trial.

The defense team questioned the credibility of the testimony regarding whether the order to "drag out the members of the National Assembly" during the 12.3 emergency martial law was realistically possible.

They asked, "Does the order to 'drag out' seem feasible?" to which Commander Cho replied, "I don't understand why an impossible order would be given."

When they changed their question to "Isn't it something that cannot be done in military operations?" Cho again responded, "It cannot be done," and retorted, "Why did he give such an order despite knowing so well."

The defense team pressed that Commander Cho's statements to the prosecution, his testimony during the impeachment trial, and his testimony in the criminal court were slightly different, but Commander Cho insisted, "They are all true."

Although some courtroom scenes were made public during the second trial, former President Yoon again entered the court through the underground parking lot, preventing the press from having the opportunity to ask questions.

This is KBS News, Lee Ho-jun.