Cabinet meeting before martial law

[Anchor]

Hello everyone.

The two key figures in the emergency martial law situation, President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, stood together in the impeachment trial.

Former Minister Kim made several statements that differed from what related parties had previously testified.

First, he stated that there were some cabinet members who agreed to the martial law during the cabinet meeting held just before its declaration.

Reporter Lee Won-hee reports.

[Report]

President Yoon Suk Yeol, who attended the fourth hearing, is soon joined by former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun in the courtroom.

This is the first time that President Yoon, who directly declared the emergency martial law, and former Minister Kim, who was a key figure in its execution, have met as defendants and witnesses in the Constitutional Court.

During the subsequent witness examination, former Minister Kim claimed that some cabinet members agreed to the martial law during the cabinet meeting held just before its declaration.

[Kim Yong-hyun/Former Minister of National Defense: "Were there people who agreed to the (emergency martial law)? Yes, there were some who agreed. (Who are they?) It is difficult for me to say."]

This statement contradicts Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's assertion that all cabinet members opposed it, but former Minister Kim did not disclose who they were.

The impeachment prosecution team pointed out that the cabinet meeting lasted only about 5 minutes and delved into procedural issues regarding the declaration of martial law.

However, former Minister Kim argued that cabinet members began arriving at 8:30 PM before the meeting and discussed the matter each time they arrived.

He stated that the declaration of martial law was delayed by 30 minutes to ensure proper deliberation.

[Kim Yong-hyun/Former Minister of National Defense: "To comply with the procedures, we originally planned to declare martial law at 10 PM, but as the arrival time of the cabinet members was delayed, we waited until we had the minimum quorum, which is why it was delayed by 30 minutes."]

He also admitted that President Yoon moved to the briefing room to declare the emergency martial law just 5 minutes after the meeting.

Former Minister Kim acknowledged that cabinet members did not sign the declaration of martial law.

[Cheong Hyung-sik/Constitutional Court Justice: "Did the cabinet members or witnesses sign the declaration of martial law?"]

[Kim Yong-hyun/Former Minister of National Defense: "They did not do that."]

Earlier, the prosecution pointed out that Article 82 of the Constitution states, "The President's acts of state must be documented," but the declaration of emergency martial law was not documented, which they argued was unconstitutional.

This is KBS News, Lee Won-hee.