South Korean President Yoon To Deliver Final Statement As Impeachment Trial Concludes

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to make a closing statement on Tuesday in his impeachment trial, as the Constitutional Court concludes public hearings. The eight-judge panel will decide whether to remove Yoon from office, nearly three years into his five-year term, after parliament impeached him for declaring martial law on December 3 without constitutional justification.

Yoon has defended his decision, arguing that he never intended to impose full military rule but merely wanted to warn against the opposition Democratic Party’s alleged abuse of its parliamentary majority. However, critics contend that his actions demonstrated an inability to assess national emergencies, raising concerns that he could resort to martial law again if reinstated.

The trial’s final hearing is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. (0500 GMT), where Yoon and Jung Chung-rae, chairman of parliament’s judiciary committee, will deliver their concluding statements. The court is expected to deliberate for days before reaching a decision on whether to uphold or overturn the impeachment.

Yoon’s martial law decree, which was in effect for just six hours before he rescinded it, had imposed a ban on political and parliamentary activities, sparking a constitutional crisis. The turmoil also led to the impeachment of the acting president, the prime minister, leaving the finance minister to lead the country.

Complicating matters further, Yoon is currently being held at the Seoul Detention Centre on separate criminal charges of leading an insurrection. This makes him the first sitting South Korean president to stand trial in a criminal case.

The Constitutional Court has up to six months from December 14—when it formally registered the case—to issue a ruling. However, in a precedent-setting case, former President Park Geun-hye was removed from office in 2017 just 11 days after the final arguments in her impeachment trial.

If Yoon is removed, South Korea will be required to hold a new presidential election within 60 days.

Melissa Enoch

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