Suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared before the Constitutional Court for the first time on Jan. 21, denying allegations that he had ordered military commanders to forcibly remove lawmakers from the National Assembly during his brief declaration of martial law.
Yoon arrived at the court in a correctional service vehicle from the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, south of the capital, where he has been detained since last week.
He appeared before the court dressed in a navy-colored suit with a burgundy tie and promised to answer any questions the justices might have.
The 63-year-old is facing charges of insurrection and abuse of power stemming from his Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration that quickly plunged the country into political turmoil.
Yoon reversed the declaration six hours later after the opposition-led National Assembly, with 190 of its 300 members present, unanimously voted to oppose the decree.
Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended when parliament voted to impeach him on Dec. 14, 2024, over the failed martial law attempt.
During the hearing before the Constitutional Court, Yoon was asked by the acting chief justice, Moon Hyungbae, whether he ordered military commanders to be sent to the National Assembly to remove lawmakers from the building.
Yoon Defends Martial Law Decree
Yoon told the justice that troops were not sent to the parliament for this purpose and acknowledged that such an action would likely have fuelled a popular backlash and led to an indefensible crisis.“If I had obstructed (the vote), I think I wouldn’t have been able to handle the consequences,” Yoon said.
The commanders of military units sent to parliament on Dec. 3 have disagreed with Yoon’s stance.
Kwak Jong-keun, commander of a special forces unit, previously told opposition lawmakers during a hearing that Yoon contacted him directly and asked that his troops “quickly destroy the door and drag out the lawmakers who are inside.”
Kwak said he did not carry out the order.
Lawyers for Yoon reiterated his reasons for issuing the martial law declaration, telling the justices it was meant to sound the alarm over alleged abuses committed by the opposition Democratic Party.
Yoon has claimed the decree was necessary to combat alleged threats from “anti-state forces” within the opposition.
He denied the declaration amounted to insurrection, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison in South Korea.
“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,” Yoon’s lawyer Cha Gi-hwan told the court.
Cha also denied testimony from military commanders that alleged Yoon and his top aides had ordered the arrest of certain lawmakers with whom the president had allegedly clashed politically.
“As the Constitutional Court is an institution that exists to defend the Constitution, I ask the justices to consider me favorably in various respects,” Yoon urged the court.
The Constitutional Court has until June to determine whether to formally dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him.
