According to news, a criminal case involving a former South Korean president on suspicion of inciting civil unrest is scheduled to begin hearings on April 14. Ten days after the South Korean Constitutional Court ruled to remove the former president from office, he will become the fifth former president in South Korea's history to stand trial in court.
The South Korean prosecution accuses the former president of conspiring with the former defense minister and others to declare an unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law without signs of war, incidents, or similar national emergencies. The former president's side claims that the emergency martial law was a legitimate act and that this matter cannot be the subject of a judicial trial.
South Korean media reported that if the charge of inciting civil unrest is established, the 64 - year - old former president may face life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to hold the first hearing at 10 a.m. local time on the 14th. As a defendant in a criminal case, the former president is obliged to appear in court. According to reports, the court has prohibited the media from filming inside the courtroom, so the scene of the former president's trial will not be made public.
The Seoul Central District Court has taken security measures around the court building to deal with possible rallies and demonstrations.
After living there for 886 days, the former South Korean president officially moved out of the presidential residence. At around 17:09 local time on April 11, the former president moved out of the presidential residence in Hannam - dong, Yongsan - gu, Seoul. Some lawmakers of a political party came to the residence to see him off, and some of his supporters also gathered in front of the residence to bid him farewell. The former president got out of the car at the door of the residence to greet his supporters.
It is reported that the former president moved into the Hannam - dong residence on November 7, 2022, and lived there for a total of 886 days. The former president and his wife will move back to their private residence in Seocho - gu, Seoul, and more than forty guards will be stationed at their residence to ensure their personal safety. According to relevant South Korean laws, the removed president will still enjoy ten years of security protection.
The South Korean Constitutional Court passed an impeachment motion against the former president on the 4th of this month. The former president was immediately removed from office, and all presidential powers and privileges were also stripped at the same time.
The mayor of Seoul gave up running for the South Korean presidency. The mayor of South Korea's capital, Seoul, unexpectedly announced on the 12th that he would not participate in the presidential election. He also apologized for the 'failure' of the former president's government.
At a press conference held at the headquarters of a political party that morning, the mayor said, 'To restore normalcy, I will not run for president' and will 'do my job like an ordinary soldier'. He sincerely apologized for the former president's martial - law incident, which 'led to the interruption of national governance and brought great disappointment to the people', saying that 'all of us in the party are to blame for the failure of the former president's government'.
He said that after the South Korean Constitutional Court removed the former president from office and the early presidential election became a reality, 'it felt like a boulder was pressing on my chest'. He kept asking himself whether he should resign as the mayor of Seoul and participate in the presidential election, and finally decided not to.