[News Today] YOON’S STANCE ON MARTIAL LAW OUTCOME

[LEAD]
During yesterday's impeachment hearing, President Yoon Suk Yeol revealed his stance regarding the outcome of the recent martial law. Meanwhile, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun acknowledged that there had been discussions with military commanders about the emergency situation.

[REPORT]
Suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol claimed that martial law did not fail.

He said that it just ended sooner than expected.

Yoon Suk Yeol / President
Parliament quickly voted to lift martial law. I also immediately called in the minister and the martial law commander to my room to order the military withdrawal.

This claim is different from the prosecution's charge that after the National Assembly voted down the martial law decree...

Yoon had ordered Lee Jin-woo, the former commander of the Capital Defense Command, to proceed with martial law even if it's lifted because the president can declare it two or three more times.

Ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun testified it's true that Commander Lee and other military commanders met at the official residence about a month before the martial law declaration...and discussed their duties and execution methods in case of emergency.

Kim Yong-hyun / Former Minister of Nat'l Defense
It's true we talked about how to execute certain duties in case of an emergency.

The former defense minister also admitted that he had contacted former intelligence commander Noh Sang-won, a private citizen at the time, but had discussed martial law only a few times.

Kim Yong-hyun / Former Minister of Nat'l Defense
I'm not sure if Noh came twenty-something times, but we mentioned martial law and related duties only a few times.

Constitutional Court Justice Lee Mi-son asked the following question to Yoon and the former defense minister who claimed that martial law was declared to uncover the truth about rigged elections.

Lee Mi-son / Constitutional Court Justice
You believed that martial law could be declared for that reason, right?

Former defense minister Kim kept his answer short in this regard, saying that the declaration of martial law is up to the president.