Former military commanders and a former spy agency official testify in South Korean president's impeachment review. The court has until June to decide to either dismiss him or reinstate him as president.
South Korea 's impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol , appeared in court for the fifth hearing of his impeachment trial on Tuesday. The proceedings saw testimonies from former military commanders and a former spy agency official, adding to the ongoing political tumult ignited by Yoon's controversial declaration of martial law in December.
The court faces a deadline of June to decide on Yoon's fate: either dismissing him from office permanently, triggering a new presidential election within three months, or reinstating him.A pivotal moment in the hearing involved Lieutenant General Lee, the commander of the Army Capital Defence Command during Yoon's martial law attempt. Lee, who imposed martial law under Yoon's orders, stated to the court that he had 'no chance' to contemplate the legality of the action. He explained that he considered Yoon's directive to send troops to parliament as a direct order, emphasizing his unwavering loyalty to the president whom he viewed as a legal expert. The court also heard from Yeo In-hyung, former head of the defense counterintelligence command. Yeo admitted to opposing the martial law declaration but ultimately felt compelled to comply with the commander-in-chief's decision. Further testimony focused on allegations that Yoon had ordered the arrest of political opponents. Hong Jang-won, a former deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, contradicted Yoon's denials, claiming he had received an order to apprehend politicians. He stated that Yoon instructed him to 'catch them all and clean up everything', leaving the specific targets ambiguous.Yoon, who attended the hearing, maintained that there was no need to debate the legitimacy of his orders regarding lawmakers because 'nothing actually happened'. Yoon is currently facing separate criminal charges for leading an insurrection and is detained at a correctional facility. His legal team has filed a motion to overturn his detention, citing irregularities in the investigation. The Seoul Central District Court will review this motion in the coming days.
South Korea Impeachment Yoon Suk Yeol Martial Law Military Commanders Political Turmoil Constitutional Court
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