Lawmakers Listed as 'Collection Targets' Submit Petition
"Appealing to the Constitutional Court for Dismissal as Potential Victims"
Those listed as 'collection targets' in the notebook of former Intelligence Commander Noh Sang-won, suspected as the mastermind behind the December 3 emergency martial law, have submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court urging the acceptance of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment. On the 24th, lawmakers Ko Min-jung, Kim Yong-min, Seo Young-kyo, Yoon Gun-young, Lee Sung-yoon (Democratic Party), Hwang Un-ha (Party for Innovation and Justice), and Kim Min-woong, the standing representative of the Candlelight Action, held a press conference at the National Assembly urging the Constitutional Court to accept President Yoon's impeachment.
Former Intelligence Command Chief No Sang-won, accused of premeditating the emergency martial law on December 3 and drafting the proclamation, is being transferred to the prosecution by a transport vehicle on December 24 last year at the Seoul Western Police Station in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung
They referred to the so-called 'Noh Sang-won notebook,' which contains a list of about 500 collection targets including former President Moon Jae-in and various sectors, saying, "Just thinking about what would have happened if the plans for arrest and incident handling of the collection targets had been realized, resulting in a bloodshed tragedy, is horrifying."
In the petition submitted to the Constitutional Court, they stated, “The petitioners are victims who would have been prioritized for arrest and collection and could have suffered harm to their lives and bodies if the emergency martial law declared by the respondent (President Yoon) had been implemented,” and “As we face the terrifying possibility that the horrific plans of the respondent and the insurrection conspirators might have been executed, and the cruelty of the collection methods recorded in the Noh Sang-won notebook, the suppressed fear is being revived day by day.”
They continued, “If the respondent returns to office, the failed collection plan this time will be executed again,” and “In other words, this impeachment trial will bring about a critical outcome that concerns the lives of the petitioners.”
They added, "If President Yoon returns, the basic rights of the people resisting unconstitutional behavior will be violated countless times and with high intensity, and there is a very high possibility of bloodshed similar to the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement," and "As victims or potential victims of the December 3 emergency martial law, we earnestly appeal for the dismissal of President Yoon." They also stated that they will actively consider filing charges against President Yoon for preliminary murder and conspiracy with the purpose of insurrection in the future.
On the 20th, President Yoon Seok-yeol sat in the grand courtroom of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, during the 10th hearing of his impeachment trial. Photo by Joint Press Corps
On the 25th, the Constitutional Court will hold the final hearing for President Yoon's impeachment trial. During the final hearing, the chairman of the National Assembly's impeachment prosecution committee, Jung Cheong-rae, chairman of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and the respondent, President Yoon, will be allowed to make their final statements without time restrictions. President Yoon is expected to make his final statement in person. This will be the first time in constitutional history that a sitting president makes a final statement directly in an impeachment trial.
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