4 months ago
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South Korea's legislature connected Tuesday (December 23, 2025) passed a Bill mandating specialised panels successful Seoul's territory and High Courts for cases involving rebellion, treason, and overseas subversion aft complaints astir the gait of the rebellion proceedings of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
But the Bill, which is apt to beryllium signed into instrumentality by President Lee Jae Myung, would autumn abbreviated of the effect the Democratic Party initially sought from the liberal-led legislature. Lawmakers altered the wording to guarantee the measurement would not use to ongoing trials. Critics person said the archetypal draught risked infringing connected judicial independence.
The instrumentality would necessitate the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul High Court to found astatine slightest 2 specialised panels for cases involving rebellion, treason, and overseas subversion. Each sheet indispensable dwell of a three-Judge Bench selected by the judges' assembly astatine each court. The Bill passed the legislature 175–2 with 2 abstentions aft galore conservatives boycotted the vote.
The ballot was delayed aft Jang Dong-hyuk, the person of the blimpish People Power Party, staged a 24-hour filibuster, arguing that the Bill remained unconstitutional adjacent aft repeated revisions and accusing Democrats of pressuring courts to make benches they favour. Following Tuesday's (December 23) vote, PPP leaders called connected Mr. Lee to veto the Bill.
The instrumentality would spell into effect instantly aft Mr. Lee signs the Bill, but it volition not use to Yoon's ongoing rebellion trial, which is expected to scope a verdict successful aboriginal 2026. If Yoon's lawsuit reaches the High Court, it would beryllium handled by the specialised panels.
Yoon was a staunch blimpish who declared martial law successful December 2024 to suppress what helium called the “anti-State” liberals obstructing his agenda. He was removed from bureau successful April and re-arrested successful July implicit his botched powerfulness drawback that lasted lone hours. He faces a slew of superior charges, including rebellion, which is punishable by beingness successful situation oregon the decease penalty.
The Democratic Party has repeatedly criticised a Judge astatine the Seoul Central District Court who is handling Yoon's rebellion case, claiming helium has delayed proceedings by spacing retired hearings and arguing that courts should reconsider the longstanding signifier of randomly assigning judges successful cases of exceptional value specified arsenic rebellion.
The Judge, Jee Kui-youn, initially drew the ire of liberals successful March by approving Yoon's merchandise from situation pursuing his archetypal arrest, allowing him to basal proceedings without detention until his rearrest successful July.
The liberals' complaints grew aft different judges rejected investigators' requests for apprehension warrants connected immoderate cardinal figures adjacent to Yoon, including erstwhile Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and elder blimpish lawmaker Choo Kyung-ho. Han and Choo were accused, respectively, of aiding Yoon's declaration of martial instrumentality and obstructing lawmakers from participating successful a ballot to assistance the measure.
