South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, appeared before the Constitutional Court for the first time since his detention, denying that he ordered the military to forcibly remove lawmakers from the National Assembly to prevent a vote against his martial law decree. Yoon argued that his deployment of troops was a warning to the opposition Democratic Party and not an attempt to obstruct the assembly.
Impeached South Korea n President Yoon Suk Yeol attends his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, in Seoul, South Korea , on Jan. 21. South Korea ’s impeached president denied Tuesday that he ordered the military to drag lawmakers out of the National Assembly to prevent them from voting to reject his martial law decree last month, as he appeared for the first time before the Constitutional Court that will determine his fate.
Yoon, a conservative, has since argued that his dispatch of troops was not meant to block the assembly but instead was a warning to the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which has used its legislature majority to obstruct Yoon’s agenda, undermine his budget bill and impeach some of his top officials.
Yoon said the lawmakers could have gathered somewhere later to overturn the decree. He also argued that there would have been a popular backlash if he had tried to physically prevent an assembly vote.Asked by Moon about reports that he gave a memo on establishing an emergency legislative body to a top official before imposing martial law, Yoon said he didn’t do so. Whether Yoon plotted to launch such a body would help explain his true intentions for martial law.
Yoon earlier ignored several requests to appear for questioning and remained in his presidential residence in Seoul, though his defence minister, police chief and several top military commanders had already been arrested over their roles in the enforcement of martial law. He was eventually detained on Jan. 15 when authorities mobilized hundreds of police and investigators near his residence.
SOUTH KOREA IMPEACHMENT YOON SUK YEOL MARTIAL LAW CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
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