Jinwoo Lee Says "Martial Law Was Legal" at Yoon Impeachment Trial... Mostly 'Refuses to Answer' Questions

Former Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jin-woo appeared as a witness in the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol and stated that he still considers President Yoon's declaration of martial law to be "lawful."

Yonhap News

At the fifth hearing of President Yoon's impeachment trial held from 2 p.m. on the 4th, former Commander Lee, who appeared as a witness, said during cross-examination by President Yoon's legal team, "(President Yoon) is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and has also served as Prosecutor General, so I think he is more of an expert on the law than anyone else," adding, "He announced it to the entire world and all citizens through a broadcast, and there was no reason to think it was unconstitutional or illegal. I still believe it is lawful."

He continued, "When Minister (Kim Yong-hyun) told me to go to the National Assembly immediately, I understood it as an operational order," and said, "From a military perspective, when the president makes a statement, it is a strategic directive." He further explained, "I understand that declaring martial law is also a condition to restore administrative and judicial functions when they are not functioning normally."

On that day, former Commander Lee mostly refused to answer questions from the National Assembly regarding President Yoon's phone instructions and other matters. He said, "I am also involved in a criminal case, and the evidentiary procedure regarding the prosecution's investigation records is underway. I understand the gravity and importance of the situation, but please understand that my statements are quite limited." He refused to answer all questions from the National Assembly's legal team, such as whether he ordered Capital Defense Command troops to climb over the National Assembly wall and enter, or whether he received a call from President Yoon around the time he ordered the troops to enter.

However, former Commander Lee promised, "In my trial, I will testify boldly and soldierly about everything I said today."

When the National Assembly asked if he would prefer a partition to be installed so he could speak more comfortably without President Yoon present or if President Yoon had left the room, former Commander Lee replied, "I don't care about that. I am speaking with the responsibility and honor of a soldier," indicating he did not want a partition.

Some of his answers contradicted the prosecution's charges. The indictment against former Commander Lee by the Special Investigation Headquarters for Martial Law (headed by Seoul High Prosecutor Park Se-hyun) states that President Yoon personally called former Commander Lee in the early morning of December 4 last year and instructed, "Still haven't entered? Go to the main assembly hall and have four people carry one person out." However, former Commander Lee briefly answered "No" to the question from President Yoon's legal team asking whether he received any instructions from former Minister Kim or the president to block lawmakers from entering the main building or to prevent the resolution to lift martial law during deployment.

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