Yoon denies all charges in first sedition trial

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, indicted as the ringleader of a sedition plot, flatly denied the charges during his first criminal trial, calling it a “peaceful martial law aimed at delivering a public message.” Despite the Constitutional Court’s ruling that there can be no such thing as a “warning-type” or “persuasive” martial law, Yoon repeated the same explanation he gave during impeachment proceedings. He insisted the order was lifted “within hours and without violence” in response to the National Assembly’s demands, claiming the sedition charges “do not hold up legally.”

Yoon also called it “comical” that the prosecution claims he had been plotting martial law since March of the previous year. He argued that deploying troops to the National Assembly was to “maintain order,” and sending forces to the National Election Commission was merely to “screen” the system. These claims contradict the Constitutional Court’s finding that Yoon ordered troops to forcibly remove lawmakers and used police to blockade the Assembly, thereby obstructing its constitutional functions and threatening the election commission.

He went further, calling it a “show” when the National Assembly speaker and other lawmakers climbed over walls to enter the building. “Has there ever been a coup in human history that lasted just a few hours?” he said. He argued that the functions of the Assembly and the election commission were not paralyzed and that martial law was lifted upon request, thus disqualifying it as sedition. However, the Supreme Court has held that sedition can be established regardless of whether the attempt achieved its purpose, as long as violent acts were committed.

While the impeachment ruling did not directly address sedition, it did deliver a legal judgment on the actions taken during the martial law declaration and execution. These issues overlap significantly with the criminal trial. The Constitutional Court’s decision must be respected as one of the two highest judicial bodies alongside the Supreme Court. Yoon’s decision to recycle the same excuses from his impeachment defense amounts to disregarding that judgment and undermining the rule of law.

Yoon also argued that the indictment was based on unverified statements from “scared individuals pressured early in the investigation.” Yet several frontline military and police officers, including former Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jong-geun, Cho Sung-hyun of the First Security Unit, and others, have testified that they were ordered to “remove lawmakers” and “seal off the Assembly.” One cannot help but wonder how long Yoon intends to keep denying the obvious.