Fmr. Defense Minister testifies as first witness at President Yoon's impeachment , defending...

Fmr. Defense Minister testifies as first witness at President Yoon's impeachment , defending martial law
尹 대통령, 탄핵심판 변론기일 두번째 직접 출석… 김용현 "포고령, 최상목 쪽지는 내가 작성… "
Thank you for joining us. I'm Yoon Jung-min.
We start at the Constitutional Court where the fourth hearing into the impeachment case against President Yoon Suk Yeol was held today, again in his presence.
The Court also began hearing from key witnesses.
Our correspondent Oh Soo-young brings us the latest.
Tensions ran high as President Yoon Seok Yeol's impeachment trial resumed, as former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun testified as the first witness, vehemently defending Yoon's martial law on December third that shook the nation.
The Constitutional Court on Thursday held the fourth trial hearing on Yoon's impeachment, which the President himself attended.
The first of ten witnesses approved by the Court, Kim is one of the key figures implicated in planning and executing the martial law.
Considered Yoon's right-hand man, Kim first said he'd take responsibility for the chaos that ensued.
His loyalty appeared intact. Kim at first refused to respond to the National Assembly's impeachment panel, prompting an abrupt break.
"If I proceed with responding to the other side, there is a significant risk that the facts may be distorted. Therefore, I would like to now decline to take part in the witness questioning."
Questions fired by both the President's lawyers and the National Assembly, much attention was on the planning and execution of martial law as the National Assembly's side says it disrupted the country's constitutional order, and that a formal Cabinet meeting was not held to legitimize it.
First, regarding the legality of declaring martial law, the former defense minister said Yoon had kept to proper procedures of holding a Cabinet meeting beforehand, saying that a copy of the martial law declaration was distributed to Cabinet members.
Also, Kim said he had composed the controversial note the finance minister had received, ordering the preparation of a budget for an emergency legislative body, presumably to replace the elected National Assembly.
This came after President Yoon initially said he could not remember whether he wrote the note, before recently denying that he had.
Questions also focused on the martial law proclamation which included a ban on political activities one of the Assembly's grounds for impeaching Yoon.
Kim claimed he typed up the document, but couldn't answer which word processor he'd used.
As the President himself questioned his former minister, Yoon appeared to emphasize that he'd considered the martial law proclamation unrealistic and ineffective.
The President also stated that his martial law had not failed, but ended quicker than expected, as he had ordered soldiers to withdraw once the National Assembly voted to lift the order.
Through his testimony, Kim appeared to reinforce Yoon's position that martial law was declared to uphold the Constitutional order prompted by the opposition-led parliament's efforts to impeach incumbent officials,..and thwart effective governance and budget execution.
"As the trial continues, the President plans to attend all future hearings scheduled until February 13th.
This would allow him to reinforce his narrative and directly question and challenge witnesses in the courtroom."
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court says it has acquired investigation transcripts from individuals involved in the martial law incident.
It has also secured classified documents related to the National Election Commission and agreed to call in an intelligence official related to the matter as a witness to the trial.
This suggests the Court will examine claims from Yoon's side that alleged election fraud was a major reason for declaring martial law.
The Assembly's panel has objected to including election fraud suspicion in the trial.
"Recklessly asserting baseless theories of election fraud appears to be an attempt to delay the proceedings and undermine trust in the electoral system. Such actions should be appropriately restrained."
The fifth hearing will be held after the Lunar New Year holiday on February 4th with three witnesses to testify.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.
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2025-01-23, 20:00 (KST)

[@ahnandsrisvanksuk9919]

Thanks for the world wide!

[@jarrodbiesmann]

It's almost typical for politicians not being able to recall details of their actions when on trial but have very sharp memories when pointing out their oppositions short-comings. Pres. Yoon states that he can't remember which word processor he used? Anyone want to take a guess?

[@Hao849]

Are you kick- boxing again? Knuckles on hand need more tape on them.

[@mlungan7717]

I hope theres no deal made behind the scene since yoon is of a prosecutor background which hold more power in judicial court. In Korea prosecutor and police are often on opposite side.