Seoul, July 25 (IANS) A South Korean court ordered former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday to compensate ordinary people for the mental distress caused by his December 3 martial law declaration.
The Seoul Central District Court issued the order while ruling in favour of 104 citizens who filed a class-action suit against Yoon to demand 100,000 won ($73) each in return for emotional damage related to the martial law incident.
It is the first ruling in which a court recognised the damage suffered by people due to the martial law and their right to claim compensation.
The court said Yoon has an obligation to pay compensation over the emotional damage and that the amount of 100,000 won demanded by the plaintiffs can be sufficiently acknowledged.
The court noted that Yoon paralysed the National Assembly through the illegal and unconstitutional martial law imposition, and violated the presidential duty to protect the people’s right to life, freedom and dignity, Yonhap news agency reported.
Earlier on July 25, South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol had not attended his insurrection trial for the third consecutive week, again citing poor health.
The 10th hearing of the trial opened at the Seoul Central District Court without the appearance of Yoon, who is currently under arrest at the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, just south of the Capital.
“Since he has not appeared consecutively, we will begin investigation proceedings in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code and criminal procedure rules,” the court had said.
“We will verify with the detention centre whether he is in fact in poor health and whether it is possible to bring him in.”
Yoon is standing trial on charges of leading an insurrection and abusing his power through his failed bid to impose martial law in December.
The hearing proceeded as an extraordinary session to question witnesses for the case.
Special counsel Cho Eun-suk’s team had protested Yoon had attended all nine hearings prior to his second arrest earlier this month without complaining about his health and even attended a separate court hearing last week that reviewed the legality of his arrest.
“Following absences from the two previous hearings, he has again failed to appear without legitimate grounds,” they had said.
“We ask the court to issue a warrant to bring him in as he has failed to appear three consecutive times in disregard of his duty as a defendant to attend.”
Yoon’s lawyers had claimed his absence was also partly due to questions about the legality of special counsel Cho’s team taking over the prosecution’s indictments against the former president.
–IANS
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