South Korea's Constitutional Court proceeded with the seventh hearing of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial on Tuesday, marking his fifth appearance in the courtroom. Dressed in a suit and red necktie, President Yoon addressed the court at around 10:00 a.m. local time in central Seoul.
During the hearing, President Yoon defended his decision to declare an emergency martial law, asserting that it was within his constitutional authority to address a national emergency. He emphasized that martial law is warranted during states of war, serious incidents, or comparable national emergencies that threaten social order.
Opposition parties criticized the declaration as unconstitutional, citing the absence of a detected national emergency at the time. President Yoon clarified that no individuals were harmed or arrested during the martial law period on December 3 of the previous year. He also stated that neither citizens were dragged out nor were there any suppressions or attacks by soldiers.
Footage from the incident showed military helicopters landing at the National Assembly and armed special forces entering the parliamentary building. Colonel Kim Hyun-tae of the Army Special Warfare Command testified that the troops acted defensively, not offensively, during their engagement with citizens, expressing shame over the events.
President Yoon maintained that he had ordered the withdrawal of troops from the National Assembly and other locations. However, Lieutenant General Kwak Jong-keun, former chief of the Army Special Warfare Command, disputed these claims, stating that no such withdrawal orders were given.
Additional testimonies included that of Lee Sang-min, former interior minister, who denied any orders to cut off utilities to left-leaning media outlets, contradicting the prosecution's indictment.
The final hearing is scheduled for Thursday, although the Constitutional Court may assign additional dates if necessary. The impeachment motion, passed by the National Assembly on December 14 last year, suspended President Yoon's powers pending the court's deliberation.
President Yoon was arrested on January 15, becoming the first sitting president of South Korea to be detained. He faces charges of conspiring with the former defense minister to unlawfully impose martial law and deploy armed forces into the National Assembly.
