Wed Jan 22 08:51:54 IST 2025: ## Impeached South Korean President Denies Ordering Military Assault on National Assembly
**SEOUL, South Korea –** Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has denied ordering the military to forcibly remove lawmakers from the National Assembly to prevent a vote against his controversial martial law declaration last month. This denial came during his first public appearance since his detention, a court hearing before the Constitutional Court which will decide his fate.
President Yoon, appearing before the court on January 21st, 2025, maintained that his deployment of troops was a warning to the opposition Democratic Party, not an attempt to obstruct the vote. He argued that physically preventing the vote would have had unpredictable and potentially disastrous consequences. This contradicts testimony from Kwak Jong-keun, commander of a special forces unit, who claimed President Yoon directly ordered troops to “quickly destroy the door and drag out the lawmakers.” Kwak stated he refused to follow the order.
President Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3rd, 2025, led to widespread political turmoil. While enough lawmakers managed to vote unanimously to reject the decree, leading to its swift repeal, the incident triggered impeachment proceedings. The National Assembly impeached President Yoon on December 14th, suspending his presidential powers. The Constitutional Court now has until June to decide whether to remove him permanently from office or reinstate him. A quicker ruling is anticipated.
Meanwhile, investigations are underway into potential charges of rebellion, abuse of power, and other crimes related to the martial law decree. These charges carry a potential life sentence or even the death penalty. President Yoon’s detention followed his refusal to cooperate with earlier questioning requests. His arrest on January 15th involved a significant police mobilization near his residence.
The incident has severely damaged South Korea’s international reputation, rattled its financial markets, and exacerbated existing political divisions. Further highlighting the tension, dozens of President Yoon’s supporters attacked a Seoul district court building following the approval of an arrest warrant extension on Sunday, injuring 17 police officers.
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