South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, currently detained, firmly denied allegations on Tuesday that he commanded military forces to remove lawmakers forcibly from parliament during a brief attempt to impose martial law. This denial came as Yoon marked his first appearance before South Korea’s Constitutional Court, having previously missed the initial two hearings out of a scheduled five in his impeachment trial. The hearing drew approximately 4,000 supporters, accompanied by heightened security measures, as reported by Yonhap.
Yoon addressed claims made by Lt. Gen Kwak Jong-keun, the former head of the army special warfare command, who testified that Yoon instructed him to forcibly evict parliamentarians. When asked directly by the judge, Yoon denied giving such orders. Last month, during a testimony at the national assembly, Kwak stated that Yoon had used a secure phone line to command the removal of legislators before they could reach the necessary quorum to repeal martial law according to the Korea Times.
The controversy stems from Yoon’s televised announcement of martial law on December 3, 2024, claiming it was needed to counter purported North Korean communist threats allegedly linked to his political foes. As noted by The Guardian, military forces were deployed to restrict National Assembly access, leading citizens to assist lawmakers in gaining entry to the building for an emergency session.
On December 4, the National Assembly unanimously opposed the decree, voting 190-0 to lift martial law. Pursuant to Article 77 of the Korean Constitution, the military withdrew from the parliament after the vote. The Democratic Party, the primary opposition, spearheaded Yoon’s impeachment, accusing him of issuing the decree without a State Council resolution, rendering it unconstitutional.
Following his impeachment on December 14, Yoon became the first sitting South Korean president to be detained. His security detail initially thwarted an arrest attempt, leading to his eventual detention last week. Now, the Constitutional Court has 180 days to confirm or reject his impeachment. If upheld, South Korea will be required to organize new presidential elections within 60 days.
The parliament-appointed prosecution criticized Yoon’s defense as inconsistent and illogical, particularly challenging his assertions concerning national security threats. Despite these criticisms, Yoon’s legal team has assured compliance with the court’s final ruling. For more on Yoon’s legal response, see the detailed coverage by Al Jazeera.