Hey amigos! Big news coming out of the Republic of Korea 🇰🇷. The constitutional court just wrapped up the fifth hearing in the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol.
President Yoon, who's been under arrest, made his third appearance at the courtroom in central Seoul today at 2 p.m. local time (that's 0500 GMT for our global pals 🌍). And things got pretty intense!
He firmly denied the allegations about the dramatic night of December 3rd last year when he declared emergency martial law. \"Nothing really happened,\" Yoon stated, dismissing claims that he ordered troops to drag lawmakers out of the National Assembly. Talk about political drama! 🎭
But get this: TV footage from that night shows military helicopters landing at the Assembly and hundreds of armed special forces storming the building! 😱 Under the constitution, any martial law must be reported to the National Assembly, which has the power to revoke it.
Yoon claimed he intended to appeal to the people and was ready to lift the martial law if parliament voted against it. He said this plan was only shared with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, keeping others in the dark. 🤔
However, prosecutors allege that Yoon pushed military commanders over the phone to get martial law troops into the parliamentary chamber by \"firing guns\" and \"using axes\" to break down doors. Sounds like something out of an action movie! 🎬
Meanwhile, Lee Jin-woo, the former chief of the Capital Defense Command, refused to testify, citing his ongoing criminal case. He did admit to speaking with Yoon that night, but that's all he'd spill. Secrets, secrets! 🤐
Stay tuned for more updates on this unfolding political saga. It's like a real-life K-drama, and we can't wait to see what happens next! 💥
Reference(s):
S. Korea's court holds 5th hearing of Yoon's impeachment trial
cgtn.com
