Seoul – President Yun Seok-yeol on Wednesday denied accusations of rebellion over the brief martial law he declared on Dec. 3, his close aides told reporters on Wednesday, stressing that martial law was enacted in response to a national crisis.
Lawyer Seok Dong-hyeon, who hopes to be identified as Mr. Yoon's assistant before the president's defense team is formally established, said Mr. Yoon was confident in expressing himself “proudly” in court.
“Mr. Yoon apologized to the people for causing surprise and anxiety about martial law in his previous televised speech. However, the president has a clear and confident position on the legal charges,” Seok told reporters at his office building in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Thursday. the reporter said.
Shi said he believed the president's declaration of martial law was not a reflection of his frustrations in performing his duties, but a decision based on a true assessment of the national emergency.
“Mr. Yin regards the paralysis of national affairs and the conflict between the president and Congress as a national crisis,” the lawyer said.
When asked whether Yin believed that martial law constituted an “act of rebellion,” Shi said Yin denied this view and claimed that he never considered rebellion in the first place.
“Where in the world is there a rebellion where someone declares through a press conference to the people and the world, 'I am launching a rebellion'? Where is there a rebellion that ends because the National Assembly asked them to stop within two or three hours?” he said.
Shi added that the president, a prosecutor-turned-legal professional, had no reason to talk about the arrest. Multiple military and police officials claimed that Yun directly ordered the expulsion of lawmakers before voting to lift martial law.
“Even if he did, where would he take them? I hope the public and the media would consider that common sense.
Although Shi stressed that his communication with Yoon was “sufficient,” the 64-year-old lawyer declined to make any official statement on the president's schedule, including deciding whether to comply with a subpoena from the Office of the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Office or appear in court.
“None of the lawyers in the president's defense team have been 'officially appointed.' All I can say is that when the team is completed, Yin or his lawyers will make a public statement on the legal proceedings,” Shi said, adding that he could not confirm Yin's appointment. The exact date of the lawyer.
After Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, Constitutional Court judges gave the president until next week to provide written answers for the impeachment trial.
On the other hand, in order to prevent controversy due to overlapping investigations, the chief investigator who took over the presidential case from the prosecutor's office will issue a second summons to Yoon at the Gwacheon City Hall Building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.
A date for the inquiry has not yet been announced.
While the Constitutional Court is scheduled to decide whether to uphold or dismiss Yoon's impeachment, the chief information officer will investigate the president on charges of rebellion and abuse of power related to the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.
“I personally think the Constitutional Court is suitable to judge the president's constitutional decisions, not the Office of National Investigation or the Chief Information Officer,” Shi said.
