Yoon's Legal Team: "Rule of Law is Dead, Legal Conscience Has Disappeared"... Citing 'Siil-yabangseongdaegok'

"I Feel Like Crying Out Loud in the Face of This Tragic Reality"

President Yoon Suk-yeol's legal team strongly opposed the issuance of an arrest warrant for the president, calling it "an absurd warrant."

On the 19th, the legal team released a statement titled "Siril-yabangseongdaegok (是日也放聲大哭): The Rule of Law is Dead, and Legal Conscience Has Disappeared," declaring, "We will restore the fallen rule of law."

Siril-yabangseongdaegok means "wailing loudly on this day." It was the title of an editorial written by patriot activist Jang Ji-yeon, who was the president and chief editor of Hwangseong Newspaper in November 1905. The editorial condemned the Eulsa Treaty, through which Japan deprived Korea of its diplomatic rights, and expressed deep indignation to inform the public.

Regarding the court's reason for issuing the arrest warrant citing "concerns over evidence destruction," the legal team said, "What further evidence could possibly come out from just six hours of martial law that was broadcast live from the start?" They added, "The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) itself stated when requesting the warrant that 'a substantial (reasonable) amount of evidence suggesting suspicion of a crime has been secured.'"

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They continued, "The president is under suspension from duty and is not in a position to exert influence on anyone. Moreover, about ten key figures related to the case have already been arrested and indicted," and questioned, "What evidence could there possibly be a concern about being destroyed?"

Regarding the incident in the early morning when protesters stormed the Seoul Western District Court, the legal team said, "Following the issuance of the arrest warrant late at night, protests by angry citizens continued, unfortunately escalating into violent incidents," expressing, "In the face of this tragic reality, we feel like crying out loud."

After the arrest warrant was issued, some supporters of President Yoon broke windows and climbed over fences to storm the Western District Court, resulting in dozens being arrested and taken into custody by the police.

The legal team urged, "The police must cease all acts that provoke and attack citizens," and requested, "We also ask the citizens to restrain their anger and express their claims through peaceful means."

The legal team emphasized, "The responsibility to prevent further unfortunate incidents rests solely with the CIO and the judiciary," and stressed, "If the CIO and judiciary still have any remaining conscience, they must explain the grounds for issuing the arrest warrant in a way that the public can accept."

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