South Korea’s Constitutional Court will conduct the final hearing in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial on Feb. 25, with both sides readying closing arguments on charges of rebellion and abuse of power.
On Saturday, lawyers of the National Assembly, which adopted Yoon’s impeachment motion in December, convened to finalize their plan. They plan to focus on the claimed illegality and unconstitutionality of the martial law Yoon issued on December 3.
Yoon’s defense attorneys believe that declaring martial law was within the president’s powers and aimed at serving notice to the opposition. They contend the opposition-majority legislature’s attempts at impeachment and budget overhaul had driven the country to brinksmanship.
The trial has focused on whether Yoon’s declaration of martial law was valid and whether he had ordered the arrest of legislators. Hong Jang-won, a former deputy director at the National Intelligence Service, testified on February 4 that he had taped an alleged order for arrest from Yoon. Yoon’s attorneys questioned the authenticity of the statement, noting Hong did not share the original memo with prosecutors.
Also, former Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo initially testified to prosecutors that Yoon ordered him to “break down the door to Parliament and drag them out, shooting if necessary.” But in his February 4 testimony, Lee testified he could not remember such an order.
The court also learned that 1,500 soldiers were deployed under martial law, surrounding the National Assembly. Yoon maintains this was solely for purposes of maintaining order, while his staff characterizes the declaration of martial law as a formality.
Following the last hearing, eight justices of the court will hear the case and rule within two weeks. If Yoon is impeached, a presidential election will be conducted within 60 days. If his impeachment is rejected, he will remain in office until May 9, 2027.