Controversy sparks over National Assembly prosecution’s withdrawal of insurrection charges

[Anchor]

Now, we will look into the impeachment trial of President Yoon.

The National Assembly's impeachment prosecution team has announced that they will remove the charges of insurrection from the reasons for impeaching President Yoon.

In response, President Yoon's side stated that if that is the case, a new vote on impeachment must be held.

This has sparked controversy.

It is expected to be clarified at the first hearing scheduled for December 14th.

Choi Min-young reports.

[Report]

The impeachment trial of President Yoon was initially set to be divided into two parts: 'violation of the constitution' due to the unconstitutional declaration of martial law, and 'violation of the criminal law' including insurrection charges.

However, the National Assembly's impeachment prosecution team announced on the 27th of December during the first preparatory hearing that they would withdraw their claim that actions related to emergency martial law constitute insurrection.

[Kim Jin-han/National Assembly representative/Dec. 27: "We are concerned that the constitutional trial might transform into a criminal trial. Therefore, we would like to keep it as much as possible in line with the nature of constitutional trials...."]

Then, during the second preparatory hearing held yesterday, President Yoon's side argued that if the impeachment prosecution team is abandoning the insurrection charges, "a re-vote in the National Assembly is necessary."

[Choi Geo-hun/Representative for President Yoon/Dec. 3: "Insurrection is a crime under criminal law, not constitutional law. Therefore, it is not valid at all to change the issue of insurrection from a criminal law issue to a constitutional issue."]

When the impeachment prosecution team was asked by the court whether they were confirming that they were withdrawing the claim that actions related to emergency martial law constitute insurrection under criminal law, they replied, "Yes."

President Yoon's side again protested whether it is fundamentally possible to judge impeachment without evaluating insurrection, to which Justice Lee Ji-sun responded, "We are studying it, so don't worry."

The controversy regarding the withdrawal of insurrection charges is expected to be resolved at the first hearing scheduled for the 14th.

KBS News, Choi Min-young.