Kim Young-hwan, the governor of North Chungcheong Province, argued that "the Constitutional Court should dismiss the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol, and the court must immediately release the president."
Governor Kim noted on Facebook on the 1st that "the declaration of martial law is the president's exclusive authority and falls within the scope of immunity. Determining whether the situation is comparable to internal or external turmoil is solely the president's authority and cannot be subject to prosecution," he said.
He further stated, "The Constitutional Court has already lost the trust of the people. In particular, the 'Our Law Research Group' has positioned itself within a biased faction of the judiciary, amplifying national conflicts and increasing distrust in the judiciary."
Governor Kim also refuted content from the book by former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon. He said, "It seems that former leader Han quoted media reports suggesting that I supported impeachment, but that is not true. At that time, I told the People Power Party leadership to follow the party line of voting–rejection principles. So I just said to hold the vote, and I have opposed the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol from the beginning until now."
Former leader Han stated in his recently published book "The People Come First" that "governors who initially demanded the president's second-term withdrawal, including Governor Kim Young-hwan of North Chungcheong Province, expressed a strong stance that impeachment is necessary." Governor Kim said on Facebook on December 12 last year that "members of the National Assembly, as constitutional institutions, must approach impeachment voting with a sense of responsibility," and some media outlets interpreted this as support for impeachment.