President Yoon Suk-yeol. [Photo=Seoul Central District Court/Video Capture]

President Yoon Suk-yeol asserted on the 14th in his closing statement that "emergency martial law was a plea to check a ruinous evil."

In his closing statement, which began around midnight, approximately 15 hours after the start of the trial for the charge of being the ringleader of rebellion at the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Settlement Division 25 (Presiding Judge Ji Gwi-yeon), President Yoon questioned, "The shortest martial law in modern and contemporary history, lasting only a few hours, was labeled a rebellion, leading all domestic investigative agencies to pursue it and even a super-large special prosecutor to investigate. Public officials who were faithful to their duties were arbitrarily indicted and arrested, and unreasonable indictments were rampant. I wonder if such a history has ever existed in a modern civilized nation."

He continued, "The indictment is a delusion and a novel inconsistent with facts and legal common sense. Although I have been in charge of investigations and trials for 26 years, this is the first time I have seen such a chaotic investigation by multiple agencies, as if they were running wild without a command structure," he stated directly. "The investigation has not been about pursuing 'rebellion' but about fabrication and distortion. I feel it is like a pack of wolves blindly chasing and biting at the whim of the Democratic Party, which holds the vast majority of seats and is aligned with the dark forces that have long dominated our country."

He further emphasized, "The Democratic Party, a giant opposition party, has manipulated public opinion through false propaganda in league with anti-state forces, regime-subverting forces, and forces that encroach upon our sovereignty. They have incited discord between the public and the government, engaged in unconstitutional parliamentary dictatorship, paralyzed state affairs, and brought the nation to the brink of crisis and ruin. As the president fulfilling the grave duty of protecting Korea's independence, continuity of state, and the Constitution, I declared emergency martial law to inform the sovereign citizens of a national emergency and to call for their intervention in overcoming it."

President Yoon stated, "Some of the small contingent of troops deployed to secure parliamentary security and order were sitting under the wall unarmed, while others, holding only unloaded firearms, were surrounded by thousands of civilians in the courtyard and assaulted. No one oppressed the public or interfered with the parliamentary agenda. Most of the lawmakers who wished to attend the plenary session were able to do so. A request for the lifting of martial law was passed at 1:03 AM with 190 votes in favor. It was a swift decision, perhaps the fastest in the world."

President Yoon expressed his respect for the court's efforts in leading the trial with adherence to law and principles amidst a "frenzied dance of swords symbolizing purges and oppression." He unequivocally stated, "I never planned for long-term rule, had no intention of subverting the Constitution, and no objective of rioting."

Regarding the testimonies of Gwak Jong-geun and Hong Jang-won, he confirmed they were "clear falsehoods." President Yoon added, "This case is being conducted as a trial by public opinion in the square, a political trial by a mob swayed by propaganda."

President Yoon Suk-yeol. [Photo=Seoul Central District Court]