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Seoul High Court to Activate Two Insurrection Divisions on Feb. 23, Expanding Judicial Reach

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Court Schedules Insurrection Divisions to Begin Feb. 23 After Judges’ Reshuffle The National Assembly approved a bill creating dedicated trial divisions for insurrection, treason and mutiny. The Seoul High Court will inaugurate two such divisions on Feb. 23, following a routine judges’ reshuffle slated for Jan. 30. Officials will monitor the divisions’ early operation before deciding whether to add more, and parallel divisions are planned for the Seoul Central District Court[1].

Bench Composition Remains Undecided Pending Jan. 29 Meeting The legislation calls for each division to consist of three veteran judges of equal rank, but the Jan. 15 meeting did not finalize the bench lineup. A follow‑up meeting on Jan. 29 will continue discussions on judge assignments. The uncertainty reflects ongoing deliberations about how to staff the new specialized courts[1].

Yoon Suk‑yeol Insurrection Case Expected to Receive First Ruling Next Month Former President Yoon Suk‑yeol’s case, tied to his 2024 martial‑law declaration, will be tried in one of the new divisions. The first trial ruling is anticipated in the coming month, with the appellate phase slated for the same specialized division. This marks the inaugural high‑profile case for the newly formed insurrection courts[1].

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Timeline

Dec 3, 2024 – Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attempts to declare martial law, an action later classified as insurrection and forming the basis of criminal charges against him and senior officials[2].

2025 (early) – The Supreme Court issues new judicial rules mandating dedicated tribunals for insurrection, treason and mutiny, prompting lower courts to plan specialized divisions[4].

Dec 18, 2025 – The Seoul High Court schedules a judges’ meeting to consider expanding its criminal divisions by two or three, aiming to create dedicated trial divisions for insurrection and other nationally important cases, which would raise the total to 16 divisions next year[4].

Dec 30, 2025 – The Seoul Central District Court merges the separate insurrection trials of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, former Defense Minister Kim Yong‑hyun, and former Police Chief Cho Ji‑ho into a single proceeding, citing identical facts and charges, and plans witness examination for Kim Yong‑hyun on the following Tuesday[3].

Jan 7, 2026 – The Seoul High Court convenes a meeting of judges to draft guidelines for forming special benches that will hear appeals of insurrection cases, following the National Assembly’s December passage of a bill creating two dedicated panels at both the Seoul High Court and Seoul Central District Court[2].

Jan 15, 2026 – The Seoul High Court announces that two insurrection divisions will commence operations on Feb 23, 2026, after a regular judges’ reshuffle on Jan 30, and schedules an additional meeting on Jan 29 to finalize bench composition; the first appellate ruling in Yoon’s insurrection case is expected the following month[1].

Feb 23, 2026 (planned) – The newly created insurrection divisions at the Seoul High Court begin hearing cases, including the anticipated appellate phase of Yoon Suk Yeol’s insurrection trial, marking the first use of the specialized tribunals mandated by the 2025 legislation[1].

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