Citizens are watching a broadcast of a public statement on Yoon Suk-yeol's emergency martial law at Seoul Station on December 12. Standing in front of the camera for the first time in five days, President Yoon denied the demand to step down, justifying the December 3 emergency martial law incident as an act of governance. Reporter Kwon Do-hyun

In his statement on December 12, President Yoon Suk-yeol blamed the opposition parties for the December 3 emergency martial law and defended the legitimacy of the unconstitutional martial law. He also dismissed calls for his voluntary resignation and declared he would continue the legal battle to the end. The opposition parties criticized himfor “showing the insanity of a mob of insurrection.” Even the ruling party leader called it a “de facto confession of insurrection.”

President Yoon delivered a 29-minute, 5699-word “Message to the People” from the presidential office that day. “Right now, the opposition parties are performing a frenzied sword dance, claiming that the declaration of emergency martial law constitutes a crime of rebellion,” Yoon said. He claimed that the opposition’s push to impeach government officials and cut the budget had led to “paralysis of the state” and a “national crisis situation.” “The National Assembly, dominated by a huge opposition party, has become a monster that is destroying the constitutional order of a liberal democracy,” he said, adding that “these people are anti-state forces trying to ruin the country.”

“How can the people trust the election results when the computer system that manages elections, which is the core of democracy, is so shoddy?” Yoon said, citing allegations of election fraud by the National Election Commission as one of the main reasons for the emergency martial law.

“The purpose of the emergency martial law was to warn the people of the anti-national activities of the big opposition parties to stop them,” Yoon said. “It was to protect Korea’s liberal democracy and constitutional order,” he said, adding, “How can the president’s constitutional decision and ruling act be an insurrection, which he made after judging that there is no other way?”

“The reason for sending a small number of troops to the National Assembly was also to symbolically signal the treasonous behavior of the giant opposition party and to maintain order,” he said. ‘It is obvious that it is not intendedto dissolve the National Assembly or paralyze its functioning.’ ‘Is there such a thing as a two-hour insurrection?’ he asked.“Is it a riot when a small number of troops were briefly put into maintain order?”

“Why would the giant opposition party rush to impeach a president under false pretense?” Yoon said, “As the conviction of the leader of the opposition party is imminent, they want to avoid it by impeaching the president and holding an early presidential election. This is an act against the national constitution,” he said. “We must stop at all costs the forces and criminal groups that led to the paralysis of the state and the disruption of the national constitution from taking control of the national government and threatening the future of the Republic of Korea,” he said. ‘Whether they impeach me or investigate me, I will stand up to them,’ he said and added ”I will fight to the end.”

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik called the discourse “appalling” and said, “It is absolutely unacceptable in a democratic constitutional order to declare emergency martial law to warn the National Assembly.”

Cho Seung-rae, a senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, said he had “seen the madness of the uprising” and criticized it as “a threat not to end the uprising.” “If Yoonis allowed to continue as he is, his false propaganda and extreme division will push South Korea into an irreparable crisis,” he said.

Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, called the speech “a de facto confession of rebellion” and ordered the convening of an emergency ethics committee to consider expelling Yoon from office or making him leave the ruling party.

After the speech, Yoon approved the bill and the enforcement of the ordinance that passed the National Assembly on December 10. Yoon could also exercise his right of reconsideration (veto) on the Special Prosecutor Acts for the insurrection charge of Yoon Suk-yeol and one for first ladyKim Keon-hee, which passed the National Assembly. If the National Assembly passes the impeachment bill on December 14, his powers will be suspended immediately.