Embattled South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Faces Impeachment Trial, Denies Allegations
Embattled South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, on Tuesday, appeared at a Constitutional Court hearing for his impeachment trial.
PulseNets learnt that the impeached president vehemently denied allegations of instructing military commanders to forcefully remove lawmakers from parliament during his brief and controversial attempt to impose martial law.
Before the hearing commenced, Yoon spoke to PulseNets, stating that he had dedicated his career in public service to upholding the principles of free democracy.
PulseNets recalls that Yoon has been detained since last week as part of a separate criminal investigation into accusations of leading an insurrection. His attempt to enforce martial law in early December stunned the nation and was swiftly overturned by parliament within hours.
During the hearing, Yoon told PulseNets that the deployment of special forces troops to parliament on December 3 was not intended to undermine the legislature or hinder its capacity to block his martial law. He explained that he was aware such an action would have plunged the nation into an “indefensible crisis.”
“In this country, parliament and news media are far more powerful than the president, in a far superior position,” Yoon asserted during the court session.
Yoon’s legal team presented arguments defending his martial law declaration. According to lawyer Cha Gi-hwan, the decree was not meant to be executed but was merely a warning against perceived abuses by the opposition Democratic Party.
“The decree was intended simply to establish the format of martial law and never intended to be executed, nor was it possible to execute it because of the potential for conflict with higher-level laws,” Cha told PulseNets.
Cha also dismissed testimony from military commanders involved in the martial law declaration, who alleged that Yoon and his senior aides had ordered the arrest of certain lawmakers who had clashed politically with the president.
Also Read: North Korea Would ‘Annihilate’ South Korea If Provoked – Kim Jong-Un’s Sister
PulseNets reported that the opposition Democratic Party, alongside minority parties and 12 members of Yoon’s own People Power Party, voted on December 14 with a two-thirds majority to impeach the president.
