President Yoon Suk-yeol said on the 25th during the final opinion statement in the impeachment trial, "I would first like to express my apologies and gratitude to the citizens."
On this day, President Yoon personally delivered his final opinion statement during the Constitutional Court's last hearing of the impeachment trial. In the history of our constitution, this is the first time a sitting president has presented a final statement in an impeachment trial. In the past, former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye had representatives read statements written by them.
President Yoon said, "It has been 84 days since I declared a state of emergency on December 3 last year," adding, "These were the most difficult days of my life, but it was also a time for gratitude and reflection." He also stated, "Looking back at myself, I felt that I had received such abundant love from our citizens during that time." He further remarked, "While I feel grateful, I am also pained and regretful that I have not been able to fulfill my duties during the time given to me by the citizens to work."
President Yoon noted, "When I declared the state of emergency and lifted it a few hours later, many people did not understand. There may still be individuals who are confused about it now." He continued, "There may be negative memories associated with the term emergency from the past," adding that "the large opposition party and insurrectionist forces are manipulating this trauma to incite the public."
He stated, "However, the emergency declared on December 3 is completely different from past emergencies," emphasizing that "it is not an emergency aimed at suppressing the public through force, but a plea to the citizens disguised in the form of an emergency." He further explained, "The declaration of the December 3 emergency signifies that this country is currently in a national crisis, and it is a desperate appeal for the sovereign citizens to face the situation and join together to overcome it."