Seoul: A Seoul court held the first hearing of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's trial on charges of benefiting the enemy, with allegations centered around the dispatch of military drones to Pyongyang in 2024. The session took place at the Seoul Central District Court and was conducted behind closed doors. Yoon attended alongside former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and Yeo In-hyung, the former head of the Defense Counterintelligence Command.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon and the two officials have been indicted for allegedly aiding the enemy by dispatching drones to North Korea's capital in October 2024. Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team claims the drone dispatch was intended to provoke retaliation from the North, which Yoon could have used as justification to declare martial law two months later.

The special counsel accused Yoon of "benefiting the enemy in general," arguing that the drone incident resulted in the leak of military secrets when the drones reportedly crashed near Pyongyang. Due to state secrets involved in the case, the court's bench will decide on a session-by-session basis whether to conduct the trial behind closed doors.

The former president is also facing multiple charges related to his alleged attempted martial law, including charges of leading an insurrection.