Jeon Du-hwan Absent from Trial Today... Witness Examination Related to Helicopter Shooting

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The trial of former President Jeon Du-hwan, who was indicted on charges of defamation of the deceased related to the May 18 Democratic Movement, will be held on the 1st.

Jeon, who has been granted permission by the court to be absent, is expected not to appear in court.

Judge Kim Jeong-hoon of the Criminal Division 8 at Gwangju District Court will conduct the continuation of the trial against Jeon in the afternoon of the 1st.

Officials from the National Forensic Service who examined bullet marks on the Jeonil Building related to the helicopter incident, and a professor from the May 18 Research Institute are scheduled to appear as witnesses.

They are experts in related fields who proved through forensic results and military records that helicopter gunfire occurred during the May 18 incident.

Their testimonies are expected to serve as key evidence refuting Jeon's side's claim that there was not a single shot fired from a helicopter.

However, Jeon is expected to continue to be absent from the trial until the sentencing hearing. The court previously accepted Jeon's side's request for permission to be absent on the 25th of last month.

The court is expected to hold one more witness examination before proceeding with the sentencing hearing for Jeon around next month.

Jeon was indicted on charges of criticizing the late Father Cho Bi-o, who testified in his memoir published in April 2017 that he witnessed helicopter gunfire during May 18, as a "shameless liar unworthy of being called a clergyman."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.