Former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is currently detained at the Seoul Detention Center, said on the 21st, "The nonsensical political oppression is enough with just me."
On the same day, former President Yoon submitted a two-page statement through his legal team, stating, "I will do my best to reveal the truth about the state of emergency in the criminal court going forward."
Former President Yoon expressed, "Many soldiers and public officials who obeyed the legitimate orders of superiors are being called to special investigations and courts and are suffering hardships," and noted, "Beyond the political oppression against me, innocent people are also suffering." He added, "I hope the unjust oppression that tarnishes the honor of those who have devoted their lives to the country and the people and damages their lives is halted immediately."
Regarding the reason for declaring a state of emergency, he stated, "It was judged that Korea's liberal democracy and constitutional order were in a state of imminent crisis," and said, "I did my best to explain to the people why I had no choice but to decide on the state of emergency during the recent Constitutional Court impeachment trial."
He continued, "I will prove how ridiculous the claim is that a president with supreme power caused a rebellion to seize power, and I will clearly reveal what the minimal forces, which did not even carry out practical measures, mean," adding, "Above all, I will surely demonstrate that the charges of rebellion against soldiers and public officials are entirely unjust."
Former President Yoon also expressed his intention to leave the evaluation of his decision to history. He said, "I believe it is ultimately the responsibility of history to judge whether my judgment was correct and whether the state of emergency was the right decision."
He added, "I am truly spending each day with a painful and sorrowful heart. It is not due to my own hardships. Seeing the concerns I had become a reality one by one, I am genuinely worried about the future of the country and the people," and stated, "I firmly believe that you, the people, will protect Korea's liberal democracy as sovereigns."