Ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol, on Tuesday (Jan 25), said that South Korea was facing an "existential crisis" when he declared martial law as he faced the final day of impeachment hearings that could formally remove him from office.
In his concluding remarks, Yoon justified the December 3 declaration, characterising it as a "proclamation that the nation was facing an existential crisis".
"This was never a decision made for my personal benefit as Yoon Suk Yeol," he told the court.
He said "external forces, including North Korea, along with anti-state elements within our society" were "working together to seriously threaten our national security and sovereignty".
He further denied committing "insurrection" in declaring martial law.
"The opposition party claims that I declared martial law to establish a dictatorship and extend my rule. This is a fabricated scheme to frame me for insurrection," Yoon told the court.
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/criminal-trial-against-south-koreas-ousted-ousted-president-yoon-suk-yeol-begins-in-seoul-8738126">Also read: Criminal trial against South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol begins in Seoul</a>
<h2>'Countless would not have had their lives spared'</h2>
Opposition lawmaker Jung Chung-rae delivered an emotional closing statement, urging the court to uphold President Yoon's impeachment. Chung-rae's plea was deeply personal, as he recalled the torture he endured at the hands of South Korea's military government in the 1980s.
"Blindfolded with my underwear, I endured four hours of torture. Being alive was pain in itself," Lee said, stopping for a few seconds to compose himself.
He urged the court to consider that "countless people would not have had their lives spared" if martial law had succeeded as Yoon had planned.
<h2>What happens if Yoon is impeached?</h2>
The stakes are high&mdash;if the court upholds the impeachment, Yoon will be permanently removed from office, triggering a fresh presidential election within 60 days.
On December 3, Yoon, in a dramatic move, temporarily suspended civilian rule, plunging the nation into political chaos. The declaration of martial law was short-lived, lasting only six hours, as opposition lawmakers defied military presence outside parliament to vote it down. This led to Yoon's impeachment and eventual arrest in January on charges of insurrection&mdash;making him the first sitting South Korean president to face such charges.
(With inputs from agencies)

World: "It was an urgent plea for the people, as the sovereign power of this country, to recognise the situation and take action to overcome it together," he told Seoul's Constitutional Court.

Ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol, on Tuesday (Jan 25), said that South Korea was facing an "existential crisis" when he declared martial law as he faced the final day of impeachment hearings that could formally remove him from office. In his concluding remarks, Yoon justified the December 3 declaration, characterising it as a "proclamation that the nation was facing an existential crisis". "This was never a decision made for my personal benefit as Yoon Suk Yeol," he told the court. He said "external forces, including North Korea, along with anti-state elements within our society" were "working together to seriously threaten our national security and sovereignty". He further denied committing "insurrection" in declaring martial law. "The opposition party claims that I declared martial law to establish a dictatorship and extend my rule. This is a fabricated scheme to frame me for insurrection," Yoon told the court. Also read: Criminal trial against South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol begins in Seoul 'Countless would not have had their lives spared' Opposition lawmaker Jung Chung-rae delivered an emotional closing statement, urging the court to uphold President Yoon's impeachment. Chung-rae's plea was deeply personal, as he recalled the torture he endured at the hands of South Korea's military government in the 1980s. "Blindfolded with my underwear, I endured four hours of torture. Being alive was pain in itself," Lee said, stopping for a few seconds to compose himself. He urged the court to consider that "countless people would not have had their lives spared" if martial law had succeeded as Yoon had planned. What happens if Yoon is impeached? The stakes are high—if the court upholds the impeachment, Yoon will be permanently removed from office, triggering a fresh presidential election within 60 days. On December 3, Yoon, in a dramatic move, temporarily suspended civilian rule, plunging the nation into political chaos. The declaration of martial law was short-lived, lasting only six hours, as opposition lawmakers defied military presence outside parliament to vote it down. This led to Yoon's impeachment and eventual arrest in January on charges of insurrection—making him the first sitting South Korean president to face such charges. (With inputs from agencies)

Yoon says South Korea was facing ‘existential crisis’ when he declared martial law

In a tense moment outside the South Korean National Assembly, opposition party leader An Gwi-ryeong grabbed a soldier's rifle, saying that she would be the last line to stop military entry into parliament during the chaos trigerred after the declaration of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol.

In a tense moment outside the South Korean National Assembly, opposition party leader An Gwi-ryeong grabbed a soldier's rifle, saying that she would be the last line to stop military entry into parliament during the chaos trigerred after the declaration of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol. The shocking event took place around 10 pm as troops tried to prevent lawmakers from entering the National Assembly for a vote on the martial law decree. A widely circulated video captured An in a tussle with a soldier for his rifle that both held in a tug-of-war at one stage, and the soldier directly pointed the deadly weapon at her. The leader yelled at the soldier, "Aren't you ashamed?" A spokesperson for the main opposition, the Democratic Party, said that Gwi-ryeong was "angered" by the military's actions. "Even when they were under orders, armed soldiers pointing guns at citizens in the National Assembly and intervening in proceedings of the lawmakers is an obvious illegality," she said. Reflecting on the confrontation, An confessed she's never held a gun before, so at first, she was intimidated. But her fear turned into urgency. "During the physical confrontation, I almost tried to block them with my body. As they grabbed my arm and pushed, I resisted and came to think that I had actually pushed the gun away during that process," she said. Her main concern in that tense moment was to stop the troops from entering the National Assembly. "If the troops had entered the assembly and disrupted the vote, we wouldn't be here today, and we wouldn't have been able to lift martial law." This followed President Yoon’s sudden and controversial martial law declaration, which surprised even members of his own party. Protests erupted amid defiance from lawmakers as An and others gathered inside the assembly to vote against the decree. Furniture was used to barricade the entrances to block the entry of soldiers. After the severe backlash and public protests, martial law was lifted hours after it had been imposed due to the defiance of lawmakers. An expressed concern over South Korea's hard-won democracy. "I'm worried that our democracy is crumbling and regressing," she said. The political crisis continues with an impeachment motion against President Yoon expected soon. Lawmakers are pledging to safeguard their constitutional rights and rejecting all further attempts to impose martial law by Yoon. (With inputs from agencies)

Aren't you ashamed?: S Korean oppn MP who grabbed soldier's gun during martial law protest

An honour guard greeted President Yoon Suk Yeol while visiting the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to increase South Korea's military sales.

Yoon's visit comes when South Korea engages in multibillion-dollar commercial transactions and stationing special forces soldiers to guard the UAE. It is a plan that garnered criticism under his liberal predecessor.

The conservative leader, however, seems to seek to strengthen such military ties despite concerns with neighbouring Iran, which have already resulted in Tehran seizing a South Korean oil tanker in 2021.

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Yoon arrived at the Qasr Al Watan mansion in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who assumed power in May after years as the nation's de facto leader, welcomed him.

Yoon and his wife Kim Keon Hee were received by an honour guard of Emiratis in traditional garb. They whirled replica Lee-Enfield weapons among warriors riding horses and camels. A military band played the Emirati and South Korean national anthems inside.

Even though the energy-starved South Korean depends on the Emirates for less than 10% of its crude oil needs, Seoul has made several agreements with this country of seven sheikhdoms that have a strong connection to Abu Dhabi and go well beyond oil. Cars, minerals, and other items worth billions of dollars are traded between South Korea and the UAE.

Watch |&nbsp;Tunisians march against the Saied regime

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/tunisians-march-against-the-saied-regime-552805/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Officials stated before Yoon's trip that the goal of the visit was to strengthen the existing connections between the two nations.

Already, in 2022, South Korea and the UAE agreed to a $3.5 billion sale of the M-SAM, an advanced air defence system that can intercept missiles as low as 40 kilometres in the air (25 miles).

Officials in the Emirati have grown more worried about safeguarding their airspace, as a result of Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by Iran, being the focus of long-range drone assaults.

The Emiratis have been reducing their reliance on American military assistance ever since the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan, even though American forces fired Patriot missiles for the first time in combat since the 2003 invasion of Iraq to defend Abu Dhabi during those attacks.

(With inputs from agencies)

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An honour guard greeted President Yoon Suk Yeol while visiting the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to increase South Korea's military sales. Yoon's visit comes when South Korea engages in multibillion-dollar commercial transactions and stationing special forces soldiers to guard the UAE.

An honour guard greeted President Yoon Suk Yeol while visiting the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to increase South Korea's military sales. Yoon's visit comes when South Korea engages in multibillion-dollar commercial transactions and stationing special forces soldiers to guard the UAE. It is a plan that garnered criticism under his liberal predecessor. The conservative leader, however, seems to seek to strengthen such military ties despite concerns with neighbouring Iran, which have already resulted in Tehran seizing a South Korean oil tanker in 2021. Also Read | Thousands protest in Israel against Netanyahu, decries 'government of shame' Yoon arrived at the Qasr Al Watan mansion in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who assumed power in May after years as the nation's de facto leader, welcomed him. Yoon and his wife Kim Keon Hee were received by an honour guard of Emiratis in traditional garb. They whirled replica Lee-Enfield weapons among warriors riding horses and camels. A military band played the Emirati and South Korean national anthems inside. Even though the energy-starved South Korean depends on the Emirates for less than 10% of its crude oil needs, Seoul has made several agreements with this country of seven sheikhdoms that have a strong connection to Abu Dhabi and go well beyond oil. Cars, minerals, and other items worth billions of dollars are traded between South Korea and the UAE. Watch | Tunisians march against the Saied regime Officials stated before Yoon's trip that the goal of the visit was to strengthen the existing connections between the two nations. Already, in 2022, South Korea and the UAE agreed to a $3.5 billion sale of the M-SAM, an advanced air defence system that can intercept missiles as low as 40 kilometres in the air (25 miles). Officials in the Emirati have grown more worried about safeguarding their airspace, as a result of Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by Iran, being the focus of long-range drone assaults. The Emiratis have been reducing their reliance on American military assistance ever since the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan, even though American forces fired Patriot missiles for the first time in combat since the 2003 invasion of Iraq to defend Abu Dhabi during those attacks. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

South Korean President Yoon reaches UAE, seeks arm sales

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has warned of a crackdown against truckers who are protesting. He said that the protests are illegal, unacceptable and are taking the national supply chain hostage during an economic crisis.

South Korea Truckers Strike: President Yoon warns of crackdown on truckers

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Yoon says South Korea was facing ‘existential crisis’ when he declared martial law

Aren't you ashamed?: S Korean oppn MP who grabbed soldier's gun during martial law protest

South Korean President Yoon reaches UAE, seeks arm sales

South Korea Truckers Strike: President Yoon warns of crackdown on truckers