On Tuesday (February 25), South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the final court hearing of the impeachment case. During his closing statement, he explained the reasons for declaring martial law. He stated that external forces posing a threat to South Korean democracy, and if he returns to office, he will focus on constitutional amendments and political reforms.
Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a 67-minute closing statement during the final court hearing, apologizing twice to the South Korean people, stating, “Martial law was declared for the nation and its people, but it caused confusion and inconvenience to the citizens, for which I sincerely apologize.”
Last year on December 3, Yoon Suk-yeol suddenly announced a state of emergency and deployed troops and police to surround the parliament. Despite this, enough lawmakers entered the parliament and unanimously voted against his martial law decree, forcing Yoon Suk-yeol’s cabinet to lift the martial law decree early in the morning the next day. Yoon Suk-yeol was suspended by the parliament that same month.
During the final impeachment hearing on Tuesday, Yoon Suk-yeol focused on explaining the reasons for declaring martial law. He stated that the declaration of a state of emergency was not the type of martial law that suppresses people by force as done in the past, but rather a way to inform the people that the country is currently facing a crisis.
He explained that external forces, including North Korea, infringed on South Korea’s sovereignty and allied with anti-national forces within the country to threaten national security. He mentioned recent cases such as North Korean spy investigations, Chinese drones filming important facilities, and leakage of critical technologies like semiconductors to China. He stated that the large opposition-led parliament hindered the proper investigation and punishment of these cases.
Regarding parliament’s accusations of his involvement in insurrection, Yoon Suk-yeol stated that if he were planning a rebellion, he would not have only dispatched a 280-person army. He specifically instructed to send a small, unarmed, and experienced group of soldiers in advance to avoid conflicts.
Yoon Suk-yeol also claimed that the opposition party has been continuously trying to paralyze government power and abuse parliamentary authority since he took office, which is the real “disruption of national governance.” He pledged that if his presidential powers are restored, he will focus on amending the constitution and political reforms to better reflect current societal changes. Furthermore, in response to the rapidly changing international situation, he will shift significant domestic authority to the prime minister and concentrate more on foreign affairs.
Opposition parliamentary member Jung Chung-Rae became emotional during the closing arguments, recalling the torture he endured in the hands of the South Korean military government in the 1980s and urged the court to support the impeachment.
Jung Chung-Rae requested the court to consider that if martial law were to be successfully implemented as planned by Yoon Suk-yeol, it would result in “countless lives being unable to escape the ordeal.”
According to reports from Yonhap News Agency, although the Constitutional Court did not set a verdict date for the case on Tuesday, based on precedents from the impeachment cases of former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye, the verdict is likely to be announced approximately two weeks after the conclusion of arguments. Therefore, the verdict date may be around mid-March. However, the decision on the power dispute raised by the parliament regarding the appointment of Constitutional Court judge candidate Ma En-he, which is related to the former Acting President Choi Sang-mook, will be announced on the 27th and could be a variable affecting the timing of the impeachment case verdict.