ANKARA

South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the opening hearing of his second trial on martial law-related charges Friday, making his first public appearance in more than two months, local media reported.

Yoon was brought from the Seoul Detention Center dressed in a dark navy suit, wearing his inmate number "3617" on his chest and appearing visibly thinner, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Already on trial for leading an insurrection through a failed martial law attempt last December, he now faces additional charges of violating the rights of Cabinet members, revising the martial law proclamation and obstructing his detention by investigators in January.

Prosecutors also accuse him of ordering the deletion of call records and distributing false statements.

Yoon last appeared in public on July 9 during his arrest warrant hearing.

Since July, he repeatedly refused to attend his insurrection trial or cooperate with special counsel investigators.

According to his lawyer, Yoon’s appearance in court was mandatory for the new trial to start and he will also appear in court later in the day for his bail request.

On Thursday, a South Korean court approved the live streaming of Yoon’s trial, but the court denied the special counsel’s request to televise Yoon's bail hearing.

The ex-president is also facing charges of insurrection due to the martial law decree issued in December and has been detained since his second arrest on July 10.