South Korea's Yoon defends actions at impeachment hearing over martial law decree

By Joyce Lee

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attended connected Tuesday a Constitutional Court proceeding of his impeachment proceedings wherever helium denied ordering subject commanders to resistance lawmakers retired of parliament during his short-lived bid to enforce martial law.

Near the commencement of the hearing, Yoon said helium had worked successful nationalist work with "a steadfast committedness to escaped democracy", erstwhile invited by the acting main justice, Moon Hyung-bae, to speak.

Dressed successful a navy-coloured suit with a burgundy tie, Yoon, a vocation authoritative earlier his 2022 predetermination arsenic president, pledged to reply immoderate questions the tribunal mightiness have.

Yoon has been incarcerated since past week nether a abstracted transgression probe connected charges of starring an insurrection with his effort to enforce martial instrumentality successful aboriginal December, a determination that shocked the federation and was overturned wrong hours by parliament.

Yoon told the proceeding that peculiar forces troops sent to parliament connected Dec. 3 were not determination to disable the legislature oregon forestall it from blocking his martial instrumentality due to the fact that helium knew specified an enactment would person led to an indefensible crisis.

"In this country, parliament and quality media are acold much almighty than the president, successful a acold superior position," helium told the court.

His lawyers outlined arguments successful defence of Yoon's martial instrumentality declaration, saying it was meant to dependable the alarm implicit abuses committed by the absorption Democratic Party.

They argued the opposition's actions had paralysed authorities and pushed the country's antiauthoritarian and law bid to the brink of collapse.

"The decree was intended simply to found the format of martial instrumentality and ne'er intended to beryllium executed, nor was it imaginable to execute it due to the fact that of the imaginable for struggle with higher-level laws," lawyer Cha Gi-hwan told the court.

Cha besides denied grounds by subject commanders progressive successful the martial instrumentality declaration who said Yoon and his apical aides ordered the apprehension of immoderate members of parliament who had politically clashed with the president.

The absorption Democratic Party, joined by number parties and besides 12 members of Yoon's People Power Party, voted with a two-thirds bulk to impeach Yoon connected Dec. 14.

HELICOPTERS LANDING AT PARLIAMENT

The Constitutional Court began the proceedings connected Dec. 27 to reappraisal an impeachment question that accused Yoon of violating his law work by imposing martial instrumentality with nary justifiable grounds.

The parliament's ineligible squad presented grounds from subject commanders and video footage showing subject helicopters landing connected parliament grounds with peculiar forces troops breaking into the main building, arsenic good arsenic troops moving successful connected the National Election Commission.

One of the lawyers besides criticised unproven claims of irregularities astatine the predetermination commission, which Yoon cited arsenic a origin for justifying martial law.

"In South Korea's existent nationalist chaos, the conspiracy mentation of predetermination fraud tin destruct our assemblage itself," said the lawyer.

The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to determine whether to region Yoon from bureau permanently oregon reinstate him.

Yoon was driven to the proceeding from the Seoul Detention Centre, wherever helium is being held, successful a correctional work conveyance escorted by a Presidential Security Service motorcade.

He was permitted to alteration from the khaki situation azygous helium presently has to wear.

After the hearing, Yoon visited a aesculapian installation to person aesculapian attraction with anterior authorization from the caput of the detention centre, the Justice Ministry which oversees correctional work said successful a statement.

It did not supply further details connected privateness grounds.

Yoon's determination to be the impeachment proceeding contrasts with his vigorous absorption to transgression proceedings against him wherever helium has refused to reply summons by investigators oregon be interrogation sessions.

Yoon's ineligible squad has denied helium masterminded an insurrection, a transgression successful South Korea punishable by beingness imprisonment oregon adjacent technically by the decease penalty.

Security was heightened astatine the Constitutional Court connected Tuesday, aft a mob of aggravated Yoon supporters went connected a rampage done the territory tribunal that issued a warrant to widen his detention aboriginal connected Sunday.

Dozens of constabulary buses were lined bumper-to-bumper connected some sides of the street, keeping hundreds of Yoon supporters much than 100 metres (109 yards) distant from the court.