Lawyer Lee Ha-sang, currently appearing on the YouTube channel "Attack Lawyers." / Video capture - The content of the video is unrelated to the main text of the article.

Amidst the ongoing aftermath of the controversy surrounding detention orders against lawyers, including Judge Lee Jin-gwan who decided not to preside over Lee Jae-myung's Daejang-dong trial, the legal team of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun strongly protested the court's threat of legal action, stating, "We will raise fundamental questions about who is seriously undermining the rule of law."

On the 21st, lawyer Yoo Seung-soo, a member of the legal team for former Minister Kim, spoke out during the trial for alleged involvement in sedition, which was held in front of the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 25 (Presiding Judge Ji Gwi-yeon). As the trial was nearing its end, he addressed the court, saying, "During today's proceedings, the Seoul Central District Court informed the lawyers that legal action would be taken for insulting a judge."

He continued, "As lawyers for former Minister Kim, who is a defendant in a criminal case, we went to assist with another case, but before we could even present our arguments, a judge issued a detention order. This is a severe infringement of our right to defense."

Lawyer Yoo emphasized, "The court, the prosecutors, and even the lawyers are all subject to various criticisms and external pressures as trials are broadcast. However, we believe that overcoming external pressures and conducting fair trials is possible only when the rule of law and the guarantee of the right to defense are in place," Yonhap News reported.

He then directly stated, "Lawyers also face unimaginable pressure and persecution from the court. We raise fundamental questions about who is causing this serious damage to the rule of law."

Previously, the court responded to lawyers appearing on the YouTube channel "Attack Lawyers" after their release from detention and making personal remarks with detailed descriptions of the situation, such as "Stop fidgeting and just do your job properly," stating that they "perceive this very seriously."

In a statement, the Seoul Central District Court argued, "The lawyers who underwent detention proceedings made verbally abusive and personally attacking remarks against the presiding judge. This is not only a severe insult to the judge's character but also an unlawful and unjust act that can greatly undermine public trust in judicial independence and trial procedures, and it can never be tolerated."

Editorial Department, Hanmi Ilbo