Overview
- In a closed-door hearing, Yoon rejected claims he sent drones toward North Korea, citing a November 2024 call with then U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and saying he received no report of any operation.
- The court ordered both sides to file written submissions by next Tuesday before deciding on an extension that could add up to six months, with his current arrest ending Jan. 18 and a verdict on the obstruction charge due Jan. 16.
- Special counsel Cho Eun-suk’s team has sought to keep Yoon in custody and additionally indicted him for aiding the enemy and power abuse tied to an alleged October 2024 drone dispatch meant to provoke retaliation as a pretext for martial law.
- In a related decision, the Seoul court extended the arrests of former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun and ex-counterintelligence commander Yeo In-hyung, citing risks of evidence destruction on charges connected to the alleged drone operation.
- Recent testimony from former aides Shin Won-sik and Chung Jin-suk described internal objections as Yoon pressed the martial law plan, offering context for the ongoing prosecutions.