South Korean parliamentary lawyers urged the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol, comparing him to a dictator during final arguments at his impeachment trial. They accused Yoon of declaring martial law on December 3 without constitutional grounds. If the court upholds the impeachment, Yoon could lose his position less than three years into his presidency.
Lee Kwang-beom, a lawyer for parliament, compared Yoon to past autocratic leaders like Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan. He argued that Yoon wanted his words to shape the constitution and sought to rule the country without limits.
“We call this dictatorship,” Lee said. “The moment he declared martial law, he abandoned his role as president of our democratic republic.” Another lawyer claimed Yoon’s election fraud allegations damaged trust in the election system.
Read more: Officials Arrive to Arrest South Korean President and Chaos Erupts
In his closing remarks, Yoon defended his actions as lawful and necessary to protect the nation. He said the martial law declaration aimed to warn the public about threats from “anti-state forces” and opposition obstruction.
“The purpose of martial law was to inform the public of the national crisis,” Yoon stated. He denied acting out of personal interest, saying he could have finished his term without action. Yoon claimed the brief six-hour martial law wasn’t a failure but ended sooner than expected.
He dismissed accusations of ordering the military to break into parliament, arguing that no harm occurred since the decree was lifted. The Constitutional Court justices will decide soon whether to remove him from office or reinstate him.
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