South Korea’s suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol appeared before the Constitutional Court for the first time in his impeachment trial on Tuesday.
Yoon defended his decision to declare martial law, a short-lived decree announced in a shock speech to the nation on the evening of December 3 that appeared to many to be a brazen attempt to crack down on his political opponents.
He also denied the central accusation that he ordered the military to drag lawmakers out of parliament that evening to prevent a vote against his decree.
In doing so, Yoon contradicted several military commanders’ accounts that he had ordered the arrest of individual parliamentarians.
During the hearing, Yoon also said that he never intended to fully implement the martial law decree, nor did he intend to have the National Assembly dissolved.
A lawyer for the conservative politician described the decree as a way to raise the alarm about abuses being committed in the legislature.
The decree was only intended to “prohibit illegal actions by the National Assembly,” South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency quoted a member of Yoon’s defense team as saying.
In the past, Yoon had repeatedly claimed that by imposing martial law he was protecting the nation from so-called “anti-state forces” in the opposition.
At the start of the hearing, Yoon asked whether the court judges would judge him “positively,” saying he has always “had a firm belief in liberal democracy,” Yonhap reported.
It was the first time in South Korea’s history that a president appeared in person for an impeachment trial. Former presidents Park Geun Hye and Roh Moo Hyeon were represented by their lawyers on previous such occasions.
Until last week, Yoon had barricaded himself on his property in Seoul to avoid arrest and interrogation.
The unicameral National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon on December 14. That act suspended him from the presidency, but the court must now decide whether the impeachment should be upheld.
If Yoon is formally removed from office by the Supreme Court, it would pave the way for early presidential elections within 60 days. A ruling is expected in the coming weeks.
After the hearing, Yoon was not returned to his prison cell as expected. Yonhap reported, citing anonymous sources, that he had been transferred to a military hospital. The exact reasons are not yet known.
Parallel to the trial is an investigation by the Corruption Investigation Agency for senior officials. The agency is investigating whether Yoon is guilty of incitement to sedition with his declaration of martial law. If Yoon is found guilty, he faces a long prison sentence.
