Yoon’s side says ex-spy deputy director’s testimony distorted

Feb 06, 2025, 07:07 am

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/Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Park Sae-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday that nothing happened regarding his martial law decree, denying insurrection allegations raised by the opposition bloc, investigative agencies, and the media following the December 3 martial law declaration. They also said that significant distortions were uncovered in the testimonies of key witnesses such as Hong Jang-won, former first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), during the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial. They called for strict evidence rules to be applied in the future proceedings.

"This impeachment trial should be based on evidence and legal principles, not public opinion. The reason for clinging to public opinion trials is clear. There is no substance to the charges of rebellion from the outset, and they cannot achieve the desired results without incitement and manipulation," Yoon’s attorney Yoon Gap-geun said in a statement on Wednesday.

During the fifth hearing of the impeachment trial held on Wednesday, the attorney pointed out that significant discrepancies were found in the testimonies of key witnesses regarding the facts stated in the prosecution's indictment. He criticized the coercion of witnesses by the main opposition Democratic Party’s lawmakers, the suggestive questioning by investigative agencies, and the distortions by some media outlets.

"Investigative agencies announced some distorted statements to the media, and the media reported them as if they were facts. Many citizens are angry at the main opposition party, which is rushing to frame the situation as a rebellion and shamanism without considering the authority of the National Assembly and the gravity of the presidential impeachment," he said.

Attorney Yoon repeatedly emphasized that significant distortions were uncovered in the testimonies of former Deputy Director Hong during the witness examination.

The lawyer pointed out that the testimony regarding the president ordering the arrest of former representative Han Dong-hoon was later altered to indicate that the Counterintelligence Command gave him a list. Additionally, the report of orders to arrest politicians during a National Intelligence Service (NIS) political meeting was modified to reflect that the reporting occurred after the meeting due to the sensitivity of the matter. Furthermore, the claim that the NIS Director did not receive a report was repeatedly changed, suggesting that he might not have reported it or that the NIS Director might not remember.

"If the right to cross-examine was not properly guaranteed, the distorted and contaminated testimonies of former Deputy Director Hong would have been accepted as facts. Limiting the number of witnesses and the time for witness examination would prevent proper cross-examination and filter out distorted and contaminated testimonies. The Constitutional Court should conduct a cautious trial with strict evidence rules, considering the gravity of the presidential impeachment, rather than seeking a speedy trial," he said.

#Yoon Suk-yeol #insurrection #Hong Jang-won #testimony