South Korean Ex-President Yoon Absent From Insurrection Trial For 9Th Straight Session

(MENAFN- IANS) Seoul, Sep 15 (IANS) Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was absent from his insurrection trial for the ninth consecutive session Monday, as a special counsel team requested the court speed up proceedings by holding four hearings a week.

Yoon has been standing trial on charges of leading an insurrection and abusing his power through his botched attempt to impose martial law in December.

He has refused to appear at his trial since he was placed in custody for the second time on July 10 on charges related to the martial law bid.

"The defendant has voluntarily not appeared today again," the bench overseeing the trial at the Seoul Central District Court said. "We will proceed with the trial in absentia as the Seoul Detention Center sent notice again that it is impossible to bring him in by force."

Under the Criminal Procedure Code, a trial can proceed in the absence of the defendant in the event he refuses to attend without legitimate grounds and it is deemed impossible or significantly difficult for a prison officer to bring him in by force, Yonhap news agency reported.

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team, which is tasked with investigating the martial law case, requested the court speed up proceedings by holding four hearings a week after combining the trials of Yoon and senior police officials involved in imposing the decree.

During last week's hearing, the court had said it would wrap up proceedings by December after merging the insurrection trials of Yoon, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and police chief Cho Ji-ho.

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