President Yoon Attends Third Impeachment Hearing
Yoon's Side Again Raises Alleged Election Fraud...
National Assembly Responds: "Irresponsible and Lacking Objectivity"
National Assembly Requests Court to Limit Election Fraud Claims
President Yoon Suk-yeol personally attended the third hearing of the impeachment trial, where his side once again asserted the claim of "martial law due to allegations of election fraud," prompting the National Assembly side to respond that the claim was "irresponsible and lacked objectivity," continuing the dispute.
President Yoon Suk-yeol is seated in the respondent's seat attending the third impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 21st. January 21, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps
On the 21st, at the Constitutional Court's third hearing of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial, a 1 hour and 43 minute-long exchange took place between the National Assembly's impeachment prosecution team and President Yoon's legal representatives.
President Yoon's legal team pointed out the Central Election Commission's system through a prepared PPT and once again raised the issue of 'alleged election fraud.' The legal team stated, "According to the National Intelligence Service's security inspection results of the Election Commission's voting system, it was possible to alter the contents of the integrated voter registry system, and early voting ballots could be produced at will." They added, "Also, photos of ballots taken at the 21st general election sites showed bundles of ballots as stiff as new bills."
They continued, "The Supreme Court cited the Election Commission's explanation without submitting even a single affidavit as evidence," and argued, "There was a massive election fraud suspicion by forces invading national sovereignty, but it was a national emergency situation that was not institutionally resolved by the Election Commission and the courts."
In response, the National Assembly prosecution team said, "Since the second hearing, the respondent side has raised various allegations of election fraud, all of which have been judged baseless through the Supreme Court and judicial institutions," and rebutted, "Rather, the dangerous entity capable of committing election fraud is the executive branch and the president, who hold greater power than the Election Commission."
They added, "Even if there were election fraud, the respondent's declaration of martial law and mobilization of troops to invade the National Assembly cannot justify the grounds for impeachment in this case, nor is it an issue in the impeachment trial."
Furthermore, the National Assembly prosecution team requested the court to limit claims regarding election fraud allegations. They said, "The recent atrocities by rioters at the Seoul Western District Court were caused by such irresponsible claims. In a national crisis, these conspiracy theories destroy the values of the community and irresponsibly harm democracy over a long period," emphasizing, "If claims that trample on election fairness are left unchecked, democracy will inevitably face the same fate. We ask the court to restrict such claims."
In response, President Yoon himself mentioned the 'election fraud theory' and expressed the need to verify facts, supporting his legal team. President Yoon said, "In October 2023, the National Intelligence Service inspected a very small part of the Election Commission's computer equipment and found many problems. This is not a conspiracy theory but an effort to confirm facts," adding, "We are not asking to root out election fraud itself but to conduct an overall screening of the Election Commission's computer system if possible."
President Yoon Suk-yeol is seated in the respondent's seat at the third hearing of the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on January 21, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps
In the hearing, aside from the election fraud allegations, the National Assembly side argued for the 'possibility of prior collusion' regarding the martial law incident, while President Yoon's side claimed it was a 'warning to the major opposition party.' The National Assembly prosecution team presented video evidence from last month showing martial law troops entering the Election Commission building, stating, "This footage was taken 4 to 5 minutes after the martial law declaration. If the martial law had not been prepared in advance, they would not have been able to enter the Election Commission immediately."
On the other hand, President Yoon's legal team argued that the martial law incident was a warning against the paralysis of state affairs caused by the major opposition party. The legal team said, "It was a warning to stop the unprecedented mass impeachment motions, legislative rampage, and indiscriminate budget cuts by the major opposition party, which threatened national interests," adding, "The proclamation was to formalize the martial law, and there was no intention to enforce it."
Meanwhile, the next fourth hearing is scheduled for the 23rd at 2 p.m. At 2:30 p.m. on the same day, the cross-examination of former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun is planned. Former Police Chief Jo Ji-ho was also scheduled for cross-examination alongside former Minister Kim, but due to health issues, he submitted a letter of absence, and his re-summoning has been postponed.
The court decided to conduct witness examinations for Army Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jin-woo, Defense Counterintelligence Command Commander Yeo In-hyung, and National Intelligence Service First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won on February 4. Army Special Warfare Command Commander Kwak Jong-geun, Special Warfare 707 Special Mission Group Commander Kim Hyun-tae, and Presidential Office Economic Secretary Park Chun-seop will be examined on February 6. Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is scheduled for cross-examination on February 11.
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