"'Nothing Happened,' Says Yoon; National Assembly Side: 'Victim Cosplay... Lost for Words'"

by Yeom Dayeon

Published 13 Feb.2025 09:33(KST)

"Yoon's Side Engages in Personal Attacks Against Constitutional Court Justices and Incites the Public"

The National Assembly side, acting as the impeachment prosecutors against President Yoon Suk-yeol, emphasized the need for a swift trial on the 13th before the final arguments, stating, "Through the hearings so far, the facts surrounding the declaration of martial law before and after have been thoroughly revealed, and the time has come for a constitutional evaluation."

Kim Yi-su, former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court and co-representative of the National Assembly's impeachment prosecution team, is attending the 7th hearing of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court courtroom in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of February 11, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps

On the same day, Kim Yi-su, co-representative of the National Assembly's legal team, said in front of the Constitutional Court's courtroom, "The December 3rd rebellion was a bloodless coup that ended in failure within a short period, yet it caused significant damage to the image of a democratic nation," adding, "The decision to dismiss President Yoon Suk-yeol is an important step in properly restoring democracy."

He continued, "After the rebellion failed, President Yoon brought far-right forces into the political arena," emphasizing, "Through the dismissal decision, it must become a model case for democracy and never a case that imitates a coup."

Attorney Song Doo-hwan also expressed the need to end the confusion as soon as possible. He stated, "With multiple hearings conducted, it is now possible to evaluate the unconstitutionality and illegality of the declaration of martial law and various measures before and after," adding, "It is time for all of us to humbly await the results of the impeachment trial, which is a constitutional safeguard established by the Constitution."

Additionally, Attorney Song said, "The public still shudders at the thought of martial law, but the respondent is playing the 'victim cosplay,' claiming 'nothing happened,' which leaves us speechless." He continued, "The respondent's side has not stopped making baseless rumors about the personal backgrounds of individual constitutional court justices, engaging in personal attacks and inciting public disobedience and violent responses," and added, "I hope they will stop actions that provoke division and conflict by inciting some supporters to defend the outdated declaration of martial law."

Meanwhile, attention is focused on whether the hearing will conclude on this day, as the Constitutional Court has not yet scheduled additional sessions after the 8th hearing. The 8th hearing, starting at 10 a.m. on this day, will feature witnesses including Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Intelligence Service; Kim Bong-sik, former Chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency; and Cho Sung-hyun, Commander of the 1st Security Group of the Capital Defense Command. Although a witness examination of Cho Ji-ho, former Commissioner of the National Police Agency, was also planned, it will proceed with only three witnesses as he submitted a notice of absence.