Impeachment Trial Final Statement by Yoon: "Major Opposition Party, Insurrection Frame"

President Yoon: "I Apologize and Thank the People"
Emphasizes Emergency Martial Law Was a 'Public Appeal,' Not a Power Grab

President Yoon Suk-yeol said on the 25th, "I apologize and thank the people," but also stated, "The past martial law and the December 3 emergency martial law are different from the past." He once again asserted that it was an 'enlightenment order' aimed at appealing to the public during a national crisis. This is the first time in constitutional history that a sitting president has made a final statement in an impeachment trial.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is attending the "7th Hearing on the Impeachment Trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol" held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 11th. 2025.2.11. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong

On the same day, President Yoon appeared at the Constitutional Court for the final hearing of the impeachment trial and opened by saying, "I want to first express my apologies and gratitude to the people." He claimed, "Many people may have negative memories associated with the word 'martial law,' and the major opposition party and the forces plotting rebellion are exploiting this trauma to incite the public."

He then raised his voice to emphasize that unlike the past martial law, which oppressed the people by force, this martial law was merely a 'public appeal' in form. He explained, "The declaration of emergency martial law is a statement that this country is currently facing a catastrophic crisis, and it is a desperate appeal asking the sovereign people to face the situation and join in overcoming it." He added, "Above all, I want to make it clear that this was never a choice made for myself, Yoon Suk-yeol, personally." He further stated, "From the beginning, I clearly informed the Minister of National Defense that the purpose of this emergency martial law was for a 'public appeal.'"

President Yoon also repeated his claim that the emergency martial law is being used to frame him with a 'conspiracy plot.' He said, "The major opposition party claims that I imposed emergency martial law to become a dictator and extend my rule, accusing me of rebellion. If that were truly the case, would I have deployed only about 280 troops who were not even the operational commanders?" He had previously testified in the hearing that "the rebellion frame and impeachment plot began centered around former Deputy Director Hong and former Special Forces Commander Kwak."

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