South Korean President Yoon appears in court

As the martial law crisis that resulted in the suspension of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's powers continues, the South Korean Constitutional Court held the final hearing of the impeachment trial initiated against him. The hearing, attended by lawyers representing the National Assembly as the plaintiff and lawyers representing Yoon, involved a review of the existing evidence and the defenses presented.

Song Doo-hwan, one of the lawyers representing the National Assembly, stated that the martial law declared by Yoon was an attempted insurrection, emphasizing that the act violated the constitution. "The evidence presented has clearly shown that Yoon violated the constitution and the laws with an attempted insurrection," said Song, requesting that the Constitutional Court uphold the National Assembly's decision to impeach Yoon. Lee Dong-chan, one of Yoon's lawyers, argued that his client declared martial law because the opposition was obstructing legislative activities, stating, "We cannot say that this situation caused by the opposition was not a national emergency." Lee requested that the Constitutional Court overturn the impeachment decision taken by the National Assembly.

"IT SADDENS ME THAT I CANNOT DO MY JOB"

Yoon, who arrived late to the hearing, denied the accusations against him and argued that he declared martial law due to the crisis the country was in. Claiming that he was trying to inform the public about the opposition's "anti-state activities" through martial law, Yoon said regarding the impeachment process, "First of all, I want to say that I am sorry and grateful to the people. Although I am grateful, it saddens me that I cannot do my job during the time the people have granted me." Stating that he would work for constitutional reform if he returns to office, Yoon said, "I will strive to quickly make a constitutional amendment in line with the will of the people. I will do my best to create a constitution and political structure that fits the changes in our society." Adding that "if constitutional amendment and political reform are carried out correctly, I believe that the divided and fragmented society will unite during this process," Yoon also noted that he plans to delegate authority on domestic issues to the prime minister and focus on foreign relations.

The National Assembly had initiated an impeachment process against Yoon, who declared martial law on December 3, alleging that "the opposition was engaged in anti-state activities." Yoon, whose powers were suspended, was arrested on January 15 and taken to provide testimony. Describing the investigation against him as "illegal," Yoon stated that he cooperated with investigators to "prevent bloodshed" in a possible clash between the police and the Presidential Security Service (PSS). It has been reported that the Constitutional Court will deliver its final decision in March on whether to remove Yoon, who is being held in a detention center, from office.