Former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s insurrection trial has not concluded on schedule and will resume Tuesday so the court can hear the prosecution’s sentencing recommendations and the defendants’ closing arguments. 

On Friday night, more than 12 hours into what was to be the final hearing, the Seoul Central District Court adjourned the proceedings on the grounds that proper legal arguments could not be made in the early morning hours. 

All eight defendants, including Yoon, concurred.

The judge made clear that there will be no more hearings after Tuesday until the verdicts are announced. 

Yoon and his co-defendants, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong‑hyun, former Defense Intelligence Commanders Noh Sang‑won and Moon Sang‑ho, and former Police Commissioner General Cho Ji‑ho, appeared in court around 9:20 Friday morning.

But the hearing saw a delay as lawyers for the former defense minister took an unexpectedly long time reviewing the written evidence.

Friday’s hearing came a year after prosecutors indicted Yoon on a charge of being the “ringleader of an insurrection,” and nine months after his trial began. 

The prosecution could seek the death penalty for the jailed former president if he’s convicted.

Under South Korean law, the offense carries the death penalty, life imprisonment, or life imprisonment without labor.