Last Hearing of Presidential Impeachment Trial... Kim Dae-sik Says "If Only There Was an Apology for Martial Law"

"A Message of Constitutional Amendment and National Unity Is Needed"

As President Yoon Suk-yeol's constitutional court impeachment trial arguments conclude on the 25th, Kim Dae-sik, the senior floor spokesperson of the People Power Party, stated, "The president should apologize for causing concern among the public regarding martial law."

Kim appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' that day and said, "The president is making his final statement today, but only he knows what the content will be."

He added, "Currently, many people are under investigation, and they were in a situation where they had no choice but to follow orders," and said, "I hope a bold message saying 'Please forgive everyone who followed me' will come out." He continued, "I believe this confusion arose because of the presidential system," and added, "Also, since the ruling party is in the minority, from the public's perspective, it seems like the ruling party is not functioning properly, and even if the president tries to do something, if the opposition party opposes it, it cannot be pushed forward. Therefore, I hope a message regarding constitutional amendment will be delivered as well."

Kim Dae-sik, member of the People Power Party. Yonhap News Agency

Kim said, "I also hope a message of national unity in line with the spirit of the times will be delivered," and added, "If investigations by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials or the Constitutional Court were conducted according to the constitution, who among our people would not accept the results? However, since the entire nation is currently divided, I hope a message of unity will be given."

He said, "(Whether the impeachment is) dismissed or accepted, there is concern," and added, "We need to move toward national unity, but the people are polarized, which is worrisome." He continued, "The government and the National Assembly should be institutions that the people can trust and rely on, but we have failed to properly demonstrate this, and I sincerely apologize once again to the people. I will make sure to conduct politics properly."

Regarding the release of the audio file of a phone call between First Lady Kim Geon-hee and Mr. Myeong Tae-gyun, he said, "We need to investigate further, but it is quite concerning," and added, "The opposition party has proposed the Myeong Tae-gyun Special Act, and amid this, it feels like another complication has arisen. We will accurately assess the situation and prepare accordingly."

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court held the 11th hearing of President Yoon's impeachment trial at 2 p.m. in the Grand Chamber, listening to the final statements of President Yoon and Jeong Cheong-rae, the National Assembly's prosecution member and chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. The president's legal team met with the president, who was detained at Seoul Detention Center the previous day, to review the specific content and length of the final statement.

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