Photo: Reuters
In December 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who declared a state of emergency in the country, apologized to citizens. This was reported by Yonhap, citing the politician's statement at the Constitutional Court of the Republic.
"First of all, I want to say that I am sorry, and I am also grateful to the people," he said.
Although the politician expressed a sense of gratitude, he emphasized that he was saddened by his inability to fulfill his duties within the given time.
During a meeting discussing the president's impeachment, his defense attorney stated that the state of emergency was lifted two hours later and that "no citizen was harmed during the period when the decree was announced and lifted." Attorney Lee Dong-chan revealed that Yoon had submitted a regulation regarding the opposition's actions in parliament.
According to Yonhap, the court may issue a decision within two weeks, around mid-March.
Yoon Suk-yeol's Arrest
On January 15, investigators in South Korea arrested Yoon Suk-yeol in a second attempt. The first attempt to arrest the ousted president occurred on January 3. However, at that time, Yoon Suk-yeol's guards resisted the police's attempt to arrest him. In the second attempt, after a prolonged standoff, investigators managed to take the president to the Corruption Investigation Bureau.
Before his arrest, Yoon announced in a video message that he considered the arrest "illegal," but decided to comply with investigators and police to prevent bloodshed.
At the beginning of December, the South Korean president unsuccessfully attempted to impose a state of emergency in the country, after which parliament accused him of attempting a coup and announced his impeachment.
Yoon has been removed from the presidency since December 14 (after parliament voted for his impeachment). He himself denied the allegations of an attempted uprising in the first half of December, stating that the declaration of a state of emergency was a "politically justified decision." He made this decision to protect the state from a paralyzed opposition.
Due to his lawyers' attempts to challenge the legality of the arrest, his 48-hour detention period was suspended. A new order was issued for the subsequent arrest.
