Yoon Impeachment 'Final Argument' National Assembly Side: "Cannot Hand the Steering Wheel Back to a Madman" (Comprehensive)

Nine National Assembly Representatives Continue Two-Hour Arguments
"Unfit and Unqualified as a Protector of the Constitution"
"Committed an Act of Treason Against the Democratic Republic"

In the final arguments of the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol, the National Assembly side urged the Constitutional Court justices to decide on dismissal, stating that President Yoon himself proved that he lacks the ability and qualifications not only as a protector of the Constitution but also as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces due to the emergency martial law declared on December 3. They particularly argued that President Yoon committed an act of treason against the democratic republic by betraying the trust bestowed upon him by the people in the worst possible way.

Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae of the Constitutional Court and constitutional justices are seated at the 11th hearing of the presidential impeachment trial held on the afternoon of the 25th at the Grand Bench of the Constitutional Court in Jaedong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2025.02.25 Photo by Joint Press Corps

On the 25th, at the Constitutional Court's grand bench, Song Doo-hwan, the last speaker for the National Assembly side in the final arguments of President Yoon’s impeachment trial, said, "The facts of violating the Constitution and laws through a series of acts of rebellion have already been clearly revealed during the impeachment trial’s evidence investigation and investigation," adding, "It is hard to imagine any reason in the past or future that would be considered more serious than the unconstitutionality and illegality of this case."

He particularly claimed that President Yoon holds an anachronistic perception trapped in the concept of emergency powers from the absolute monarchy era. Lawyer Song emphasized, "We cannot allow someone who has proven himself unfit and unqualified as a protector of the Constitution and commander-in-chief of the armed forces to return to the presidency," adding, "We cannot hand the steering wheel back to a madman. We cannot give a weapon again to someone who has lost reason through hatred and anger."

Earlier, lawyer Kim Yi-soo cited a passage from the Analects, "Without the trust of the people, a country cannot stand," to argue that President Yoon committed an act of treason against the democratic republic. Referring to suspicions involving the spouse, he said, "(President Yoon) used the state emergency powers and the command of the armed forces to escape the crisis," adding, "When the martial law failed, the respondent did not even remain loyal to the subordinates who carried out his orders."

Lawyer Lee Kwang-beom, who was the first speaker for the National Assembly side, pointed out that President Yoon trampled mercilessly on the democratic constitutional order that the people protected with their blood and lives. Lawyer Lee said, "On the night of December 3, President Yoon unfolded a surreal scene that could not even be seen in movies or dramas," calling it "an act of destroying the Constitution of the Republic of Korea and overthrowing the democratic republic."

He also criticized President Yoon for ignoring the existence of opposition parties and focusing on eliminating potential political rivals, falling into the delusion that the crushing defeat in the general election was the result of election fraud. Lawyer Lee said, "He wanted to create a world where his single command becomes the Constitution, privatize the state, and reign above the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. We call this dictatorship," adding, "President Yoon is raising conspiracy theories, claiming there is an impeachment plot against him, and calling the emergency martial law an enlightenment decree. Who is trying to enlighten whom?"

Jang Soon-wook, who has played the role of the National Assembly’s main attacker throughout the trial, stated that President Yoon "polluted the words and scenery of the Constitution" and that the Constitutional Court’s dismissal decision should restore it to its rightful place. Referring to President Yoon’s national address on December 3 last year, he said, "The respondent spoke of protecting liberal democracy while engaging in behavior that destroys liberal democracy and spoke of protecting the Constitution at the very moment he was destroying it." Regarding the martial law proclamation, he criticized, "He tried to silence and bind the political opposition through emergency martial law." He also pointed out that in the controversy over the 'Biden flight,' President Yoon violated the freedom of the press guaranteed by the Constitution by excluding a reporter from a specific media outlet from boarding the exclusive plane, while still claiming to protect the Constitution.

Additionally, lawyer Kim Sun-hyu emphasized that President Yoon "directly damaged the principle of civilian control and political neutrality of the armed forces, which has been upheld for nearly 40 years since the 1987 Constitution." Lawyer Lee Won-jae, regarding the election fraud allegations, said, "If they had just properly read the Supreme Court ruling once, they would have easily known how baseless the 'fake ballots' claim is," and requested the Constitutional Court to judge the unfounded election fraud conspiracy theories and restore trust in the election system.

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