South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a 25-page address to the nation on Dec. 12, stating that despite the major opposition party’s repeated abuse of its constitutional powers, he has “chosen to exercise presidential powers within the framework of the Constitution.”
Yoon criticized the opposition, saying, “Their claim that declaring martial law amounts to treason is reckless. Is that really the case?” He added, “Who is truly paralyzing the government and undermining the Constitution in South Korea today?” He accused the opposition of refusing to accept the election results, saying, “For the past two and a half years, they have continually demanded my resignation and impeachment.”
The president emphasized that the opposition’s excessive use of impeachment had disrupted government operations. “Since the election, there have been 178 rallies calling for my resignation or impeachment,” he pointed out. “They have also pushed for the impeachment of numerous government officials, who, even without wrongdoing, faced long suspensions from their duties.” He added that many officials resigned voluntarily before impeachment proceedings even began.
Yoon specifically criticized Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, saying, “He has gone so far as to push for self-protection legislation, where a criminal gives himself a pardon.”
He also explained why he had ordered a raid on the National Election Commission (NEC)’s computer system through former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. “There were many more serious issues that we couldn’t disclose at the time before making the difficult decision to declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said. “Last year, North Korea launched hacking attacks against constitutional bodies and government agencies, including the Election Commission. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) discovered this and sought to check for data leaks and ensure system stability.”
Yoon continued, explaining that while other institutions agreed to have their systems checked by the NIS, the Election Commission refused, citing its status as a constitutional body. “Only after the Election Commission’s large-scale hiring scandal surfaced, and it became subject to audits and investigations, did they agree to the NIS inspection,” he said. “However, they allowed only a small portion of the system to be checked, while refusing the rest.”
He pointed out, “When a NIS employee attempted a hack, it became clear that data manipulation was entirely possible. The firewall was essentially non-existent, and the passwords were alarmingly simple, like ‘12345.’ The system security management company was small and lacked professionalism.”
Yoon stated, “As president, I was shocked upon receiving the NIS report. How can the public trust election results when the electronic system at the heart of our democracy—our elections—is so flawed? Although the NEC observed the NIS’s security inspection process, they merely offered excuses, insisting they had not manipulated the data themselves.”
He continued, “Ahead of the general elections in April, I requested improvements to address these issues, but it remains unclear whether they have been resolved. That is why I instructed the Minister of National Defense to inspect the NEC’s electronic systems.”
Yoon clarified that the declaration of martial law was not intended to undermine the constitutional order but to restore it, emphasizing that its purpose was to recover stability.
Addressing the deployment of troops to the National Assembly, Yoon explained, “The move symbolically exposed the catastrophic actions of the main opposition party and was meant to maintain order in anticipation of a large crowd of citizens. It is clear the intention was not to dissolve the National Assembly or paralyze its functions.”
He added, “The deployment lasted merely an hour or two. If we had intended to incapacitate the Assembly, we would have acted on a weekday, not a weekend, and taken measures like cutting off electricity, water supplies, and broadcasting transmissions. None of these steps were taken.”
Yoon further stated, “We took every precaution to avoid casualties, mobilizing only elite forces above the rank of noncommissioned officer rather than ordinary soldiers.”
Regarding the Cabinet meeting held before the martial law declaration, Yoon said, “This decision was discussed solely with the Minister of National Defense. A few members of the Presidential Office and Cabinet were informed shortly before the meeting where the declaration was made. Although there was significant opposition, I explained that such measures were unavoidable from the president’s perspective. These individuals bear no responsibility.”
Yoon also strongly refuted allegations of treason, accusing the opposition party of seeking impeachment to force an early presidential election.
“Does a two-hour-long treason incident even make sense?” he asked. “Deploying a small number of troops for temporary order maintenance is being equated to rebellion. The opposition party’s rush to impeachment, fueled by lies and incitement, raises the question—why? The answer is simple. With the opposition party leader’s conviction imminent, they are trying to avoid it by forcing my impeachment and triggering an early presidential election,” Yoon claimed.
Regarding his future course of action, Yoon declared, “Whether it’s impeachment or an investigation, I will face it head-on. I have already stated that I will not avoid any legal or political responsibility related to the martial law declaration. Not once have I clung to personal popularity, the length of my term, or holding onto this position.”
He concluded, “The presidential authority to declare martial law is a governing act, much like the powers to grant pardons or conduct diplomacy, and it is not subject to judicial review. Fellow citizens, the opposition party is determined to portray me as a criminal and remove me from office immediately. If this anti-constitutional and chaos-driven force takes control, unconstitutional laws, self-serving immunity measures, and economically destructive policies will overwhelm the National Assembly, leaving this country in ruins.”
