Sangcheol’s Legal Journal : YouLaw Insights

[May 26 Trial Recap] Orders to "Drag Out Lawmakers" at Gunpoint: Explosive Testimony and Audio Shake Up the Court On May 26, 2025 , the Seoul Central District Court held the fifth criminal trial against former President Yoon Suk-yeol , accused of leading an attempted insurrection through the illegal declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024. The proceedings revealed striking new developments, including direct military testimony and court-released audio recordings suggesting high-level coordination to forcibly remove lawmakers from the National Assembly. 🔹 Trial Overview Date: May 26, 2025 (10:15 AM) Venue: Seoul Central District Court Presiding Body: Criminal Panel Division 25 Key Attendees: Yoon Suk-yeol (Defendant, former President) Brigadier General Lee Sang-hyun (Commander, 1st Airborne Brigade, Special Warfare Command, Testifying Witness) Prosecutors and Defense Counsel Media and heightened security presence 🔹 Major Trial Dev...

🔍 Trial Overview Date : Monday, May 19, 2025 – 10:15 AM Courtroom : Criminal Division 25, Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge: JI Gui-yeon) Participants : Defendant: Yoon Suk-yeol, former President of South Korea Witnesses: Brigadier General Park Jeong-hwan (Chief of Staff, Army Special Warfare Command) Brigadier General Lee Sang-hyun (Commander, 1st Airborne Brigade) (Scheduled, not examined on this date) 🧾 Main Proceedings ✅ A. Continued Testimony by Brigadier General Park Jeong-hwan Described real-time observation of Gen. Gwak Jong-geun (former Commander of the Special Warfare Command) taking a call from a superior and replying, “We’ll break the door and go in.” Ordered troops to secure the National Assembly , following repeated urgent calls even after deployment had begun. Helicopter insertion began at 11:08 PM on Dec 3, 2024. Orders such as “Break the windows,” “Pull the lawmakers out,” “Stop the vote” were conveyed by Gen....

Hello everyone! 👋 Today’s blog post covers an extraordinary moment in Korean constitutional history.  On April 4, 2025 , the Constitutional Court of Korea issued a landmark ruling: the dismissal of President Yoon Suk-yeol from office. Let’s explore what happened, why it happened, and what this means for democracy in Korea. 🧭 Background of the Case The impeachment process began after President Yoon declared martial law on December 3, 2024 , citing national paralysis due to opposition party actions and threats from North Korea. The declaration was made through a live national broadcast and included assigning a military general as the martial law commander. However, within hours, the National Assembly voted unanimously (190/190) to revoke the martial law. On December 4, President Yoon announced the termination of the martial law . Despite this retraction, political and legal responses escalated. A second impeachment motion was proposed and passed on December 14 with 204 ...

Overview of the Hearing Date: February 25, 2025, 2:00 PM Location: Constitutional Court, Supreme Court Hall Participants: National Assembly representatives, President Yoon Suk-yeol's defense team, President Yoon Suk-yeol The 11th and final hearing of the impeachment trial for South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took place on February 25, 2025. President Yoon delivered his closing statement for 67 minutes, defending the necessity of martial law and addressing allegations of election fraud. The National Assembly representatives countered with strong accusations of constitutional violations and attempted subversion of the democratic republic. Key Arguments Presented A. President Yoon Suk-yeol's Closing Statement 1. Justification of Martial Law President Yoon argued that the "martial law declared on December 3 was fundamentally different from past examples," emphasizing it was a "plea to the public" rather than an oppressive military measure. He...

📌 Summary of the 6th Impeachment Trial Session of President Yoon (February 6, 2025) ⚖️ The 6th session of President Yoon’s impeachment trial was held on February 6, 2025, at the Constitutional Court’s main courtroom. 🏛️   Key witnesses included military officers involved in the emergency martial law implementation and the President’s economic advisor.   During this session, the testimony of military officials revealed critical details regarding the execution of martial law, the use of force, and direct orders from President Yoon. ⚠️   The economic rationale behind the emergency measures was also challenged in court.   🛡️ Key Testimonies from Military Officials Colonel Kim Hyun-tae, commander of the 707 Special Mission Unit, testified about the operational details of the martial law implementation.   His testimony centered on whether direct orders to remove lawmakers were given and if military force was authorized.   Kim stat...