Court to rule on ex-President Yoon's trial over appointment of former envoy to Australia

A Seoul court is set to rule on Friday regarding former President Yoon Suk Yeol's trial for allegedly helping a former defense minister evade a criminal investigation by appointing him as ambassador to Australia in 2023. The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to deliver its ruling at 2 p.m. for Yoon's trial on charges of aiding a criminal's flight and abuse of power.

Special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team has requested a five-year prison sentence for Yoon. Yoon is accused of ordering the appointment of former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup as ambassador to Australia in November 2023 to assist him in evading an investigation into the alleged cover-up of a Marine's death earlier that year. The special counsel team suspects that Yoon may have sent Lee, a key suspect in the cover-up case, abroad to prevent the investigation from reaching him.

Lee left for Australia in March 2024 but returned only days later due to the controversy. The special counsel team also recommended three-year prison terms for former National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and former Justice Minister.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.