On the 25th, President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned in his final statement regarding the impeachment trial that the opposition party impeached former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min following the Itaewon tragedy, saying it was "essentially the same act as a spy group receiving orders from North Korea." He added, "This can be described as an 'incitement impeachment' that exacerbates societal conflicts and chaos."
On that day, President Yoon directly made the final statement on the last day of the Constitutional Court impeachment trial. He is the first sitting president in South Korean history to make a final statement in an impeachment trial. Previously, former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye had their representatives read statements written by them.
President Yoon stated, "Upon the occurrence of the Itaewon tragedy, the opposition party incessantly called for fact-finding while using the tragedy for political strife. Eventually, they impeached the Minister of the Interior and Safety." He added, "At that time, the directive sent by North Korea to a spy group affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions stated, 'Focusing on creating a situation like the Sewol ferry disaster fact-finding struggle within society through this large-scale tragedy, maximize the expression of anger from all walks of life.'"
Regarding the impeachment of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office head, President Yoon called it a "bulletproof impeachment" aimed at obstructing the prosecutors' investigation into the opposition party leader and pressuring the judges who will trial the opposition leader's crimes. He also said that the impeachment of the Board of Audit and Inspection chairman was "nothing less than a betrayal impeachment to cover up their espionage activities."
He continued, "The opposition party indiscriminately impeaches public officials and uses taxpayers' money to cover the expenses of the prosecutorial team, while the unjustly impeached public officials must use their personal funds to pay for attorney expenses in a situation where their duties are suspended."