Verdict in impeached president's martial law case set for mid-February

12·3 비상계엄 관련 내란 우두머리 혐의로 기소된 윤석열 전 대통령이 13일 서울 서초구 서울중앙지방법원 417호 형사대법정에서 열린 내란 우두머리 혐의 결심공판에서 변호인들과 대화하며 웃고 있다. [사진=연합뉴스]

SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - A verdict for disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle is set for mid-February.

After wrapping up a 17-hour final hearing for Yoon on charges of insurrection and abuse of power that lasted until the small hours of Wednesday, the Seoul Central District Court said it will deliver its ruling on Feb. 19.

Prosecutors earlier asked the court to sentence Yoon to death. They also sought life imprisonment for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, accused of conspiring with Yoon over the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law in 2024, 30 years in prison for former military intelligence chief Noh Sang-won, and 20 years for former police chief Cho Ji-ho.

Prosecutors argued that Yoon, as president, had a duty to uphold the constitutional order but destroyed it, and that he never properly apologized to the public for the debacle.

In his final statement, the impeached president justified his martial law bid, repeating his previous claims. Yoon claimed that the short-lived martial law, which lasted just "a few hours," had been framed as an insurrection, with investigators launching a "mega-scale" probe that detained and indicted public officials who refused to give the statements they want to hear.

He reiterated that his martial law bid was a presidential decision aimed at addressing what he described as legislative abuses by a party with a parliamentary majority, as well as repeated impeachments of officials that he said had paralyzed state affairs.

Yoon said his only intention was to alert the public to a national crisis and urge vigilance, deploying only a small number of troops to the National Assembly without attempting to block votes or arrest politicians.

He criticized the ongoing trials and investigations as an "organized effort" to frame him for insurrection and purge political opponents, claiming those who attempted to arrest and detain him were instead undermining the constitutional order.

Yoon then asked the court for leniency for military personnel and public officials who carried out their duties under the declaration of martial law. He also urged the court to weigh the case's constitutional implications and his sense of responsibility to prevent the paralysis of state affairs, adding, "That can never be an attempt to subvert the Constitution."
Lee Hugh

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