"Private Use of Military Power, Betrayal of the People"... Court Issues Stern Rebuke

[Anchor]

The court strongly criticized former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who had consistently denied the charges. The court rebuked him for using South Korea's military power for private purposes, stating that the president, who is tasked with protecting the nation and its people, instead incited war.

Jang Hoon-kyung reports.

[Reporter]

Throughout the trial, former President Yoon Suk Yeol argued that the drone operations were legitimate military actions in response to North Korea's trash-filled balloons.

However, the court did not accept this claim.

The court reprimanded him, stating, "Former President Yoon attempted to deliberately create a national emergency to exercise his authority to declare martial law, thereby putting the lives and property of our citizens and military at risk."

The court further rebuked him, saying, "He used South Korea's military power for private purposes unrelated to national security or the defense of the territory," adding that "he betrayed the fundamental trust of the people."

In particular, the court noted, "The crime of insurrection (foreign collusion) can lead to massive loss of life or national collapse, making it effectively impossible to punish after the fact, which is why it must be prevented in advance," and added, "The fact that North Korea did not actually carry out a provocation is not a mitigating factor for the defendants."

The court emphasized that a severe punishment is inevitable simply for the fact that the president attempted to drive the nation into a state of war crisis.

[Jang Woo-sung / Special Prosecutor for Insurrection : This was a judgment on the duplicity of those responsible for national security, who abandoned national security for the sake of political interests and maintaining power.]

Previously, the court presiding over the charges against the ringleader of the insurrection judged that the decision to declare martial law was made two days prior, stating, "It is difficult to see it as a long-planned declaration of martial law given how poorly prepared it was."

However, as the link between the drone operations that began in October 2024 and the declaration of martial law was recognized in today's (June 12) ruling, it is expected to influence the appellate court's judgment on the timing of the decision to declare martial law in the insurrection case.

(Video Editing: Jung Sung-hoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.