Yoon Suk-yeol, the president of South Korea dismissed by Parliament last December and arrested last week by anti-corruption authorities, appeared this Tuesday for the first time before the Constitutional Court. The conservative leader is provisionally stripped of his duties for imposing martial law in the country on December 3. Today, he has claimed to have always worked defending the values of “free democracy” and has appealed directly to the magistrates to take into account aspects that could favor him in his case, according to the Yonhap news agency. South Korea’s highest court, which is reviewing the impeachment process and evaluating its legitimacy, has until June to rule on whether to restore Yoon’s powers or definitively depose him as head of state.
“Since I came of age and until today, I have lived with a firm conviction and commitment to free democracy, especially during my time in public service,” the president stated. “Given that the Constitutional Court is an institution that exists to defend the Constitution, I ask the judges to consider me favorably in several aspects,” he added.
Yoon, the nation’s former attorney general, has since December defended his actions as an “act of government” intended to defend the country from “anti-state forces.” During this Tuesday’s hearing, which lasted one hour and 43 minutes, his legal team denied that the president planned the imposition of martial law, an extreme measure that was activated for the first time in 45 years. “The decree was drafted by [el entonces ministro de Defensa] Kim Yong-hyun, and modified by the defendant to have the format [de ley marcial]”said Cha Gi-hwan, one of his lawyers. “It was intended to prohibit illegal acts of Parliament, and in no case dissolve it or prohibit its regular activities,” he added.
Cha also stated that the deployment of troops during the six hours that the law was in force sought to “inform citizens about the dangerous behavior of Parliament,” as well as prepare for the possible massive influx of people to the headquarters of the legislative branch, quoted the Yonhap agency. Furthermore, he flatly denied that Yoon ordered the arrest of politicians and judges.
Today was the third session of the impeachment process. Yoon is the first South Korean president to attend his own impeachment trial, as his predecessors Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye were absent from theirs. During his statement, he promised to answer any question that the Constitutional Court considered relevant. This attitude contrasts with his categorical opposition to the other criminal proceedings against him. Yoon is accused of masterminding the failed declaration of martial law, orchestrating an insurrection, and abusing his power; If convicted of these charges, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
The Office of Investigation of Corruption of Senior Officials (OICAF) arrested him last week, after he ignored three subpoenas to testify in the framework of that investigation. Yoon surrendered to OICAF on Wednesday, January 15, although he emphasized that he did so to “avoid a bloodbath”; His security services had blocked the first arrest attempt at the beginning of the month. OICAF may have him held until early February. Yoon has refused to testify before this agency, claiming that the investigation and arrest are “illegal.” A total of 86 people are detained, after hundreds of their supporters stormed the court that approved the extension of their arrest on Sunday.
