Ex-defense minister testifies in Yoon's trial that he advised Yoon to declare martial law, drafted decree, reviewed by Yoon

Suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol testified during his impeachment trial on Thursday, defending his Dec. 3 martial law declaration by stating it did not fail but ended “sooner than expected,” arguing that the imposition of military rule was intended to "appeal to the public for strict oversight and criticism" of the parliament.
"It wasn’t a failed martial law; I thought it would end quickly, but it ended even sooner than expected. The National Assembly swiftly demanded the lifting of martial law, and I immediately called the minister and the martial law commander to my office to order the withdrawal of troops," he told justices during the trial that had former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun as a witness.
Thursday’s hearing involved a direct examination from Yoon to Kim, a key figure believed to have colluded with Yoon ahead of the declaration. Based on Article 163 of the Criminal Procedure Act which applies to impeachment trials, as the defendant, Yoon could directly ask questions to Kim, a witness requested by Yoon's side.
Kim's court testimony as the first witness since the trial began on Jan. 14 also marked his first appearance since his arrest on Dec. 8. He is currently detained at Dongbu Detention Center in eastern Seoul.

Did Cabinet agree to martial law?
During the trial, Kim claimed that some Cabinet members had agreed to the martial law declaration during the meeting held just before the announcement on Dec. 3.
Responding to the National Assembly's legal team during cross-examination, when asked whether anyone else agreed to the declaration during the Cabinet meeting, he said, "Yes," but adding,"It’s difficult to say who."
Kim also refuted the claim that the Cabinet meeting had lasted only about five minutes, saying that "the Cabinet meeting itself was brief, but the discussion was already taking place as Cabinet members joined starting from 8:30 p.m."
When asked whether the Dec. 3 martial law declaration had been a failure, Kim said he "doesn't think of it as a failure or success."
"From the beginning, I never intended for it to last long. The purpose was to sound the alarm against the tyranny of the majority party. I believe that this warning was sufficiently conveyed to the public," Kim told the justices.
Kim's, Yoon's roles in drafting martial law decree
During the trial, Kim admitted to having drafted Martial Law Proclamation No. 1 and to advising Yoon to declare martial law.
“The president was deeply concerned that the main opposition party showing no interest in the lives and welfare of the people and was solely focused on three things: immunity (from arrest), impeachment and special investigations. He found this troubling and regrettable,” Kim answered from his seat, facing Yoon.
Kim testified that drafting Proclamation No. 1 was discussed with Yoon, that Yoon reviewed the final draft, before making the declaration of martial law and that Yoon had advised him on that final draft.
“Since (Proclamation No. 1) was meant as a warning, the president told me to make sure it doesn’t harm the people and to delete the part where it mentions the public curfew. He said it would cause inconvenience to the people, and I was instructed to remove that part,” Kim explained.
Martial law just 'a warning': Yoon's lawyer
During the hearing, Yoon’s legal representatives reiterated their argument that Yoon had no intention of physically enforcing martial law after declaring it, but that it was just “a warning.”
“It was a half-day martial law, and from the beginning, it was intended to raise awareness and warn the public. The president believed that the constitutional order was at risk of collapse due to the overwhelming majority held by the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which left no conventional methods to address the situation,” Yoon’s lawyer Cho Dae-hyun told the justices.
“(The president) is a legal expert who has worked as a prosecutor for his entire career, (and) was well aware that the opposition party, holding an absolute majority, would immediately move to lift martial law if requested,” Cho added.

Beefed up security around court
Meanwhile, the police on Thursday beefed up security near the Constitutional Court to prevent any potential escalation by Yoon’s staunch supporters. They deployed 54 riot police units consisting of 3,500 personnel around the court building. Approximately 160 police buses were mobilized as a multilayered vehicle barricade.
Police officers were equipped with protective gear and set up the vehicle barricades to handle unexpected actions from the demonstrators.
Conservative groups such as the far-right group Korean Patriotic Movement Headquarters (direct translation) held a rally near the court building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, with some 200 protesters calling for the dismissal of Yoon’s impeachment case.
The next hearing, the fifth of eight hearings planned for Yoon’s trial, is set to take place on Feb. 4. Witnesses summoned by the court as part of evidence examinations include former chief of the Army Special Warfare Command Lee Jin-woo and former chief of the Defense Counterintelligence Command Yeo In-hyung.