Jinwoo Lee, former commander of the Army Capital Defense Command, is appearing as a witness at the 5th hearing of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on February 4, 2025. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Testimony has emerged that, at a gathering at the official residence of the Minister of National Defense on November 9 last year, about one month before the December 3 Martial Law, former President Yoon Sukyeol, while heavily intoxicated, lamented, "I am always betrayed," expressing deep disappointment toward Han Donghoon, former leader of the People Power Party.
On the 15th, the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Agreement Division 25 (Presiding Judge Ji Guyon) conducted a witness examination of Jinwoo Lee, former commander of the Army Capital Defense Command, as part of the ongoing trial on charges including insurrection against former President Yoon. Former Commander Lee testified that after Yoon’s drunken lament on November 9 last year, he recorded the details of the gathering in a memo on his mobile phone, using the phrase "Gujunggunggwol" (Ninefold Palace).
Lee stated, "I thought, 'When a person is isolated, they become misunderstood and suspicious. Even a president, who is supposed to be the most senior, is still just human,'" adding that at the time, former President Yoon did not mention martial law.
Former Commander Lee testified that, during the December 3 Martial Law last year, he neither received nor conveyed to his subordinates any orders from former President Yoon Sukyeol to remove members of the National Assembly from the main chamber. Even as he confused some of his previous statements from the prosecution’s investigation and in court, he recalled fragmented words from a phone call with former President Yoon, such as "gun" and "one for every four people."
This represents a slight moderation from his testimony at the military court in May, where he had previously stated as a witness that, "At first, I did not remember former President Yoon saying, 'Why not have four people each carry one out of the main chamber?' but later recalled it when my aide reminded me."
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