Yoon's Final '2-Minute Statement' Before Impeachment Vote... Was It Shortened Considering Backlash?

About 2 minutes of remarks... around 500 characters
Focus on conveying key points without detailed explanation of stance
Comprehensive position instead of mentioning retreat to second line, etc.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is greeting after delivering a national address at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News

President Yoon Suk-yeol issued a final "2-minute statement" to the public on the 7th, just before the National Assembly's vote on the impeachment motion.

In his first official statement in four days since the emergency martial law situation, President Yoon focused on key points such as "apology" and "leaving the term and party matters to others" rather than lengthy explanations.

On that day, at 10 a.m. in the Yongsan Presidential Office, President Yoon apologized to the public through a live broadcast regarding the emergency martial law situation. It is reported that some aides, including Chief Secretary Jeong Jin-seok, were present in the briefing room.

This statement was President Yoon's first position after four days since the declaration of martial law on the night of the 3rd and its lifting in the early morning of the 4th.

Until now, voices mainly from the opposition camp demanding impeachment, claiming that President Yoon caused serious national turmoil through unconstitutional emergency martial law, had been strong, but President Yoon remained silent under the stance that "there was no wrongdoing."

However, when a pro-impeachment sentiment was detected within the ruling party, including People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon the day before, it is interpreted that President Yoon had no choice but to issue a public statement.

Although President Yoon's statement came after four days, it was brief, lasting just over two minutes. The statement contained about 500 characters, with the word "apology" mentioned twice and "regret" once.

While the declarations of martial law and its lifting on the 3rd and 4th were delivered seated, this statement was made standing.

At the end of the statement, he came out beside the podium and bowed deeply for about three seconds before immediately exiting.

The National Assembly held a plenary session at 5 p.m. that day to vote on the impeachment motion against President Yoon. Despite being the last statement before the decisive vote, the brief duration of just over two minutes drew criticism online, with some saying it felt like a "shorts video."

It is interpreted that President Yoon judged that delivering only the core message rather than a lengthy explanation about the purpose of martial law or the impeachment situation would be more effective.

President Yoon is reported to believe that the emergency martial law was "legal and caused by the opposition party's reckless actions," but voices warned that maintaining this stance in the statement could backfire.

In fact, President Yoon has held several public statements and press conferences before, but his approval ratings and public opinion often worsened afterward.

On that day, President Yoon did not elaborate on shortening his term, stepping down to a secondary position, or forming a national unity cabinet, but broadly stated, "I will leave the matter of political stability going forward, including the term issue, to our party."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.