South Korean President Jun Suk Jeol took part in the hearing before the Constitutional Court regarding his impeachment, Reuters reported. During it, he denied that he had ordered military commanders to pull lawmakers out of parliament during the six-hour martial law imposed on December 3 last year.
Deposed South Korean President Jun Suk Jeol was detained by officers of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) and police last Wednesday. He is the first president to be detained on charges while in office he staged a coup on December 3 last year. If found guilty, the maximum sentence under the law is life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Jun said during the hearing that the special forces troops sent to parliament on December 3 were not there to disable the legislature or prevent it from blocking the martial law he imposed. He admitted that he was aware of the potential consequences of such action.
South Korean President Jun Suk Jeol removed from power (January 21, 2025)PAP/EPA/Kim Hong-Ji / POOL
Martial law decree 'never intended to be implemented'
According to Reuters, Jun's lawyers presented arguments in defense of the declared martial law, saying it was intended to raise the alarm about abuses committed by the opposition Democratic Party.
“The decree was intended only to establish a martial law format and was never intended to be enforced, nor was it possible to enforce it due to a potential conflict with higher-level laws,” lawyer Cha Gi-hwan told the court.
Cha also denied testimony from military commanders involved in the December incident who said Jun and his top aides had ordered the arrest of some members of parliament who had clashed politically with the president.
At the end of the hearing, Jun was invited by Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae to speak. He said then that he had “worked in public service with a strong commitment to free democracy.”
The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to decide whether to permanently remove Jun from office or reinstate him.
Security measures have been tightened for the duration of the trial
As Reuters notes, Jun's decision to attend his impeachment hearing contrasts with his previous staunch resistance to criminal proceedings against him, in which he refused to respond to investigators' subpoenas or participate in interrogation sessions.
“As oral arguments at the impeachment hearing began last week, Jun's lawyers said the impeachment was a political attack on the president by opposition parties that abused the parliamentary majority and had nothing to do with protecting the constitutional order,” the agency reported.
The main opposition Democratic Party, joined by minority parties as well as 12 members of Jun's People Power Party, voted with a two-thirds majority to impeach Jun on December 14 last year.
Security was tightened at the Constitutional Court in central Seoul after a mob of angry Jun supporters stormed the district court, which issued an order to extend his detention on Sunday. Dozens of police buses lined up closely together on both sides of the street outside the courthouse to limit access to the building in the hours before the hearing began.
Police officers stand guard outside the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea (Jan 21, 2025)PAP/EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
According to information provided by Yonhap Agency, after the trial, Jun was transferred to a military hospital in Seoul. More details are not known yet.
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Main photo source: PAP/EPA/Kim Hong-Ji / POOL