The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday named five court-appointed lawyers to take former President Park Geun-hye’s corruption case.
Park’s defense team resigned en masse on Oct. 16, in protest against the court’s decision to extend the warrant holding the former president in custody.
Former President Park Geun-hye leaves the Seoul Central District Court after a hearing on Oct. 16. Yonhap
At the time, Park and her lawyers expressed distrust in the court and claimed that she was being subjected to political revenge.
The court had recommended Park’s lawyers to reconsider, saying that their resignation would put the defendant at a disadvantage.
With Park refusing to appear at her hearing on Oct. 19 and her lawyers sticking to their decision, the court had begun selecting court-appointed lawyers.
The court said that a large number of lawyers have been set on the case in light of the large amount of data the new defense team must review. According to the court, the investigation log, court records and other documents amount to over 120,000 pages.
The court, however, withheld the identities of Park’s new defense team, saying that revealing the information before the trial resumes would impede their preparations.
Under the country’s Criminal Procedure Act, a court is required to name state-appointed lawyers when a trial is being conducted while the defendant is in custody, and when the alleged crime is punishable by three years to life sentences, and the death penalty.
By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
