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Former President Yoon Suk-yeol enters the Seoul Central District Court on July 9 for a detention warrant hearing, responding to reporters’ questions before the session. / Source: Joint Press Corps

The Seoul Central District Court has approved live broadcasting and media photography for the first hearing in the trial of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who faces charges of obstructing special official duties under the indictment of the special counsel investigating alleged insurrection.

On September 25, the court announced, “The 35th Criminal Division (Chief Judge Baek Dae-hyun) has partially granted the special counsel’s request for trial coverage in accordance with Article 11 of the Special Counsel Act on Insurrection Cases.”

Special Counsel Cho Eun-seok’s team had requested live broadcasting of both the first trial session and Yoon’s bail hearing, citing the public’s right to know. Article 11 of the law stipulates that when either the prosecutor or the defendant applies for coverage, the presiding judge must permit it unless there are special circumstances to deny the request, in which case the reasons must be disclosed.

As a result, live broadcasting will be allowed from the start to the end of Yoon’s first hearing at 10:15 a.m. on September 26. The footage, after voice masking and other anonymization measures, will be made available online, similar to past Supreme Court and Constitutional Court precedents.

In addition, under Supreme Court regulations on courtroom attendance and photography, the court authorized media outlets to film before the start of proceedings. However, it denied live coverage of Yoon’s subsequent bail hearing, with the bench set to explain the reasons for rejection during the session.

Given that attendance is mandatory in criminal trials, Yoon is expected to appear in court for the first time since his re-arrest in July. He has previously failed to attend 11 consecutive hearings on the insurrection charges.