National Assembly Reveals Police Chief's Interrogation Records
Yoon's Side Challenges Constitutional Court's Evidence Standards
Yoon's Side Also Questions Jeong Gye-seon's Impartiality
National Assembly: "Distortion of Facts, Groundless Claims, and Sophistry"
Prosecutorial investigation records revealing that President Yoon Seok-yeol instructed Police Chief Jo Ji-ho to "arrest the members of the National Assembly" during the 12·3 emergency martial law were disclosed at the Constitutional Court. In response, President Yoon's legal counsel protested, saying, "It is against the law to examine the testimony records of individuals who did not appear as witnesses in court as evidence," and subsequently left the courtroom.
Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae of the Constitutional Court, along with other justices, is attending the 9th hearing of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on February 18, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps
At the 9th hearing of President Yoon's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court on the afternoon of the 18th, the National Assembly side revealed parts of Police Chief Jo's suspect interrogation records as "evidence to prove the grounds for impeachment." Jo testified that during the investigation, he said, "When I answered the phone, the president told me, 'Chief Jo! Arrest all the members of the National Assembly entering the National Assembly. Arrest them. It's illegal,'" and that the following five calls contained the same content. He added, "I felt the president was very urgent."
Jo stated that from around 11:30 p.m. on December 3 last year until 1:03 a.m. the next day, he received a total of six calls from President Yoon with this content. Jo also testified that former Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung called out 15 names, including Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, and Judge Kim Dong-hyun, during the first call, and in the second call said, "Han Dong-hoon (former leader of the People Power Party) is an addition." The National Assembly side disclosed parts of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun's interrogation records, in which he testified that former Commander Yeo In-hyung read out a list of 14 people to be arrested immediately after martial law was declared.
The National Assembly's disclosure of investigation records was immediately met with opposition from President Yoon's side. Lawyer Cho Dae-hyun said, "Unless the respondent agrees, it is stipulated that testimony that has not been impeached for credibility during cross-examination in this court cannot be used as evidence," and raised his voice, saying, "If such testimony records are used as evidence in the impeachment trial, it would be difficult to avoid criticism that evidence inadmissible in criminal trial procedures was used as evidence in the impeachment trial."
Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae of the Constitutional Court did not accept Lawyer Cho's request. Acting Chief Justice Moon responded, "The court's decision to admit evidence was already made at the 4th hearing, and I think this objection is being raised after the deadline," adding, "The court has already expressed its opinion on this matter more than twice." Ultimately, Lawyer Cho picked up his bag and left the courtroom.
On that day, the Constitutional Court requested both the National Assembly and President Yoon's sides to summarize their arguments for two hours each, based on witness examinations and evidence investigations from the 1st to the 8th hearings. The National Assembly side pointed out the procedural and substantive illegality of the martial law based on testimonies from military commanders, cabinet members, investigative agencies, and the National Assembly, urging the swift removal of President Yoon. In contrast, President Yoon's side reiterated their previous claims that the declaration of martial law was conducted through lawful procedures and was a high-level presidential governance act during their two-hour presentation. They also devoted a significant portion of their time to raising suspicions of "election fraud," arguing that the deployment of the military to the National Election Commission was to inspect the election management system.
Meanwhile, President Yoon's side continued to raise questions about the impartiality of the justices. Before the hearing, President Yoon's side issued a statement questioning the fairness, citing that Justice Jeong Gye-seon and National Assembly's legal representative Lawyer Kim Yi-su have a "senior-junior relationship from the Judicial Research and Training Institute." On the other hand, National Assembly's Lawyer Song Doo-hwan, attending the hearing, expressed concern, saying, "Some extreme supporters have gone to the homes of Constitutional Court justices, engaging in insulting criticism and pressuring them to resign, which are criminal acts," and added, "It is even more worrying that people around the respondent distort facts with groundless claims and mislead the public with sophistry that turns criminals into victims."
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