President Yoon, other suspects snub Assembly hearing on Dec. 3 martial law declaration

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President Yoon, other suspects snub Assembly hearing on Dec. 3 martial law declaration

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, left, and other witnesses at a parliamentary hearing take an oath to testify truthfully at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 22. Former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, center, did not take the oath. [NEWS1]

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, left, and other witnesses at a parliamentary hearing take an oath to testify truthfully at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 22. Former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, center, did not take the oath. [NEWS1]

President Yoon Suk Yeol and other individuals implicated in his short-lived imposition of martial law failed to attend an afternoon hearing at the National Assembly on Wednesday despite being ordered to do so by a parliamentary committee.
 
The committee is investigating allegations that the president masterminded an insurrection to overthrow the country’s democratic order with his Dec. 3 martial law decree.
 
The committee issued subpoenas to Yoon, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and five former military officials to appear at the hearing by 2 p.m. after they failed to do so in the morning.
 
Among them, only Kwak Jong-geun, former chief of the Army's Special Warfare Command, obeyed his subpoena.
 
The committee, which is made up of 10 lawmakers from the liberal Democratic Party (DP), seven from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and one from the minor Basic Income Party, has summoned 80 witnesses in total, including impeached Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, acting President Choi Sang-mok, former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae.
 
In his call for the committee to issue the subpoenas, DP Rep. Han Byung-do characterized Yoon’s no-show as “a grave challenge and insult to the National Assembly, which represents the people.” 
 

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DP Rep. Ahn Gyu-back, who chairs the committee, said he “cannot understand how Yoon can go to some places but not others,” referring to the president’s attendance at the third hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.
 
However, the committee’s subpoenas were blasted by PPP members as an attempt to further embarrass Yoon after he became the first Korean president to be detained and arrested while still in office.
 
PPP Rep. Park Jun-tae said issuing a subpoena to Yoon was “inappropriate as he is still a sitting president.”
 
While former Interior Minister Lee did appear before the committee, he declined to sign the witness oath or answer lawmakers’ questions about his whereabouts and whom he met on the night Yoon declared martial law.
 
Ahn then warned Lee that refusing to testify without a justifiable reason could lead to a prison sentence of three years and a maximum fine of 30 million won ($20,850).
 
In response, PPP lawmakers defended Lee’s constitutional right to remain silent under questioning.
 
Kim Sung-hoon, deputy chief of the Presidential Security Service, center, attends a parliamentary committee hearing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 22. [YONHAP]

Kim Sung-hoon, deputy chief of the Presidential Security Service, center, attends a parliamentary committee hearing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 22. [YONHAP]

“Witnesses should not have to testify under duress at parliamentary hearings,” said PPP Rep. Kwak Kyu-taek.
 
In his remarks before the committee, Prime Minister Han denied seeing Yoon’s memo to current acting President and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, which allegedly mentioned a plan to establish an emergency legislative body to replace the National Assembly under martial law.
 
Han said he did not see the memo due to the “shocking nature” of Yoon’s decision to declare martial.  
 
Under questioning by lawmakers, Kim Sung-hoon, deputy chief of the Presidential Security Service, said that the agency played no part in deleting the server connected to Yoon’s secret phone.
 
According to Kim, the server is set to wipe itself periodically.
 

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]
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