[News Inside] Dismissed but Nothing Changed... Yoon's 93-Minute 'Self-Defense'

"Is There Such a Thing as a Few-Hour Rebellion?"
Arguments Mirror Those Made in Impeachment Defense
Military Commanders Testify: "We Were Ordered to Remove Lawmakers"
Yoon's Team to Cross-Examine at Second Trial on the 21st

On the 14th, just ten days after his impeachment and removal from office, former President Yoon Seok-yeol appeared at a criminal trial and delivered a 93-minute statement in which he completely denied the charges, effectively conducting a 'self-defense.' His arguments mirrored those he made during the impeachment trial.

Former President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is facing his first formal criminal trial on charges of leading an insurrection, is entering the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to attend the trial scheduled for the afternoon of the 14th. April 14, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps

At the trial held under the jurisdiction of the 25th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Ji Gui-yeon), former President Yoon requested to have the prosecution's presentation (PPT) materials shown again and said, "It was a peaceful nationwide message under martial law," adding, "I want to ask whether there has ever been in human history a few hours of rebellion declared by broadcasting and then immediately stopped because the National Assembly told them to stop."

Regarding the charges that he conspired to impose martial law starting from spring 2024, former President Yoon said, "This is really a comedic story. To equate martial law with a coup d'?tat or rebellion is to stray far from legal judgment."

On the prosecution's claim that appointing Kim Yong-hyun, former presidential security chief, as Minister of National Defense was part of the martial law preparation process, he said, "Martial law is something that must always be prepared for," adding, "That is why there is a Martial Law Division in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with corresponding manuals and various drills." Regarding the charge of ordering the blockade of the National Assembly, he said, "(The lawmakers) were clearly allowed to enter, but the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Democratic Party leader staged a show by climbing over the National Assembly fence for photos," and added, "Even as someone who worked as a prosecutor for 26 years and has arrested and indicted many people, I could not understand what the prosecution's indictment was about or by what logic it constituted the crime of rebellion."

Earlier, the prosecution explained former President Yoon's rebellion charges with a 120-page PPT presented by 12 prosecutors from the Special Investigation Headquarters. The prosecution stated, "The defendant declared emergency martial law with the purpose of making it impossible for constitutional institutions to exercise their powers and abolishing the functions of the constitution and laws such as the party system, based on an unconstitutional and illegal proclamation."

During the trial, witness examinations were also conducted for Cho Seong-hyun, commander of the 1st Security Group of the Army Capital Defense Command, and Kim Hyung-gi, commander of the 1st Special Forces Battalion of the Special Warfare Command. When asked by the prosecutor whether he was ordered to enter the main building of the National Assembly and pull lawmakers outside, Commander Cho answered, "Yes." Commander Kim also responded "Yes, that's correct" to the prosecutor's question suggesting that he received orders from Lee Sang-hyun, commander of the 1st Airborne Brigade of the Special Warfare Command, to climb over the fence and pull lawmakers out.

Former President Yoon also raised objections to the selection of Commander Cho and Commander Kim as the first witnesses in the trial. He said, "On a day like today, having people who were already questioned by the Constitutional Court appear in place of ministers makes me think that there is a political intention behind the prosecution's order of witness applications." He was referring to the fact that the witness examinations of Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, and Cho Tae-yeol, Minister of Foreign Affairs, originally scheduled for this trial, were postponed. The defense for former President Yoon plans to conduct cross-examinations of Commander Cho and Commander Kim at the second trial session scheduled for the 21st.