According to the Seoul Central District Court, the trial for Kim and five others, which had been scheduled for 10:40 a.m. today in Courtroom 526 of the West Building, was canceled following an order by the court to change the trial date. The prosecutor, the defendants, counsel for both sides, and counsel for the victim were all notified.
On the 13th, the day before the scheduled trial, Kim's defense counsel submitted a written opinion along with a confirmation of intent expressing his desire to have a citizen participation trial. The victim's counsel also submitted a written opinion on the same day, and the court promptly issued a trial preparation order.
A citizen participation trial is a criminal trial system in which ordinary citizens participate as jurors to determine guilt and provide opinions on sentencing. Although the jury's verdict is not legally binding, the court generally respects it and takes it into consideration when issuing its ruling.
When an application for a citizen participation trial is filed, the court must first determine whether the defendant genuinely wishes to have such a trial and whether there are any grounds for exclusion. If the application is accepted, a separate pretrial preparation hearing must be held for procedures such as jury selection. As a result, the previously scheduled hearing could not proceed as planned.
Meanwhile, five to six trucks from Kim Soo-hyun's fandom, which has been calling for Kim Se-ui's detention, were stationed outside the court today, publicly expressing their support for Kim Soo-hyun.
Five to six individuals believed to be Hover Lab supporters also remained outside the courtroom. Some of them had also been seen at Kim's detention warrant hearing earlier. Appearing to be unaware that the trial date had been changed, they were seen leaving the courtroom area after learning of the postponement.
Previously, Kim was detained following a detention warrant hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court on May 26. He faces charges including violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, defamation involving false statements, intimidation, and violations of the Stalking Punishment Act. The charges stem from broadcasts in which he claimed that the late Kim Sae-ron had been in a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun while she was a minor and that pressure to repay her debts had caused her death, while presenting fabricated screenshots of KakaoTalk conversations and audio files as evidence.
Kim subsequently filed for a review of his detention, but the request was denied on June 2, leaving him in detention. He was indicted while in custody on June 23.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)