Court jails Yoon Suk-yeol for life: Yoon blasts verdict as political theater while special counsel notes mixed regrets

Yoon Suk-yeol, the former president who was indicted on charges of being the leader of an insurrection in connection with the "Dec. 3 martial law" situation, was sentenced to life imprisonment at the first trial on the 19th, prompting the defense team to say, "Was this trial for this, it was nothing but a mere show."

The former president's defense team said this in a statement released immediately after the sentencing, calling it "a formality for a predetermined conclusion."

The defense team said, "We are in such despair that we cannot utter even the minimal words that we respect the judiciary's decision," adding, "Even in a frenzied era stained by lies and agitation, we hoped unbending justice would be established, but our judiciary also knelt before an agitated public opinion and a political power seeking to purge its rivals."

The defense team also said, "Over more than a year of trial and through the examination of witnesses, the substance of the case was revealed," adding, "It was objectively established that the president did not order the disruption of the National Assembly vote, and even though it was a presidential decision to set right Korea in crisis, this was ignored."

It continued, "The very initiation of the investigation was unlawful, and the court also turned a blind eye to the wrongful investigation and indictment by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which has no investigative authority," adding, "If there was such a thorough intent to shun the truth, why hold a trial at all?"
The defense team argued, "The judiciary, which halts Lee Jae-myung's trial and hands down not-guilty verdicts in trials of prominent Democratic Party politicians on the grounds of illegally collected evidence, when it comes to Yoon Suk-yeol not only on procedural illegality but also on the merits was preoccupied with watching the mood," adding, "It is a tilted scale and nothing but an inconsistent standard."

It went on, "For a while, they may deceive the people and draw cheers with a trial in the square," adding, "But in the court of history, the truth will one day surely be revealed. We will never yield to distortion and lies and will fight to the end."

Meanwhile, the special counsel for the insurrection said of the sentencing result, "It was a meaningful ruling," but added, "There is considerable regret regarding the findings of fact and the sentencing." On whether to appeal, the team said only, "We will distribute materials." At the sentencing hearing on the 13th of last month, the special counsel sought the maximum sentence allowed by law, death, for the former president.