Overview
- The Seoul Central District Court’s Division 35 said it will rule on Jan. 16 on charges tied to obstructing investigators and ordering deletion of secure-phone records.
- The bench will decide any defense witness requests on Dec. 19 and aims to finish hearings that day or, if necessary, on Dec. 26.
- Prosecutors have charged Yoon with obstruction of justice, violating the rights of nine Cabinet members, drafting and destroying a revised proclamation, and directing deletion of secure-phone logs.
- The judge rejected the defense bid to delay this verdict until after the separate insurrection case, saying the matters are legally distinct.
- A parallel insurrection and abuse-of-power trial before Division 25 is slated to conclude in early January with a verdict expected in February, while reports differ on whether indictments were filed July 17 or July 19.