Treason Trial Accelerates with Key Witness Testimonies

The appeal trial for former President Yoon Suk-yeol's alleged treason is intensifying as key figures involved in the events of December 3, 2024, are being summoned as witnesses. The proceedings are focusing on the actions of military commanders who allegedly communicated with Yoon and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to orchestrate the blockade of the National Assembly. The upcoming testimonies of lower-ranking officers who acted under their command are expected to further detail the events.

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I did not know about the declaration of martial law in advance and I never gave an order to forcibly remove lawmakers from the National Assembly.

Adding complexity to the case, Cho Sung-hyun, former head of the Capital Defense Command's 1st Security Division, has been indicted by special prosecutor Kwon Chang-young on charges of engaging in a crucial mission for treason. Cho has consistently testified about the unconstitutionality and illegality of the December 3 martial law declaration. His indictment is anticipated to escalate the legal disputes surrounding the credibility of witness statements.

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If the president had ordered me to drag out lawmakers, how could I have retreated the troops in such a critical situation? It's impossible.

During the appeal hearing on December 13, Lee Jin-woo, former commander of the Capital Defense Command, appeared as a witness. Lee was responsible for dispatching Capital Defense Command troops to the National Assembly on the day martial law was declared, following orders from Kim Yong-hyun. Lee asserted that he was unaware of the martial law declaration in advance and denied issuing orders to forcibly remove lawmakers from the National Assembly, claiming that the accounts in the indictment and the first-instance ruling were false.

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The order was to 'drag out the lawmakers from inside the National Assembly building to the outside.'

Lee's testimony directly contradicts the findings of the first-instance trial, which sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment for treason. Lee claimed that Yoon ordered him to "break down the door of the National Assembly building, even if it meant firing shots" and to "enter the plenary session hall and carry out four people, one by one." However, Lee denied receiving such specific instructions from Yoon and questioned the credibility of Cho Sung-hyun's consistent statements about receiving these orders. Lee further argued that he had instructed Cho Sung-hyun to stand down from deploying armored vehicles and to replace live ammunition with blanks, but Cho allegedly resisted these orders. This account clashes with Cho's previous testimony, which painted Lee as actively involved in carrying out the illegal orders.

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I ordered Cho Sung-hyun to 'put down his gun and absolutely do not deploy the armored vehicles,' but Cho Sung-hyun called again wanting to take the armored vehicles.