Ex-President Yoon says an 'idiot' like him could not 'attempt a coup' in final court statement
Published: 14 Jan. 2026, 13:30
Updated: 14 Jan. 2026, 16:05
![Defendants, judges, lawyers and prosecutors are seen during an insurrection charge hearing related to the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 9. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/14/0ff1169d-9c65-458e-b16f-b3e50dad9b34.jpg)
Defendants, judges, lawyers and prosecutors are seen during an insurrection charge hearing related to the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 9. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT]
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, facing charges of leading an insurrection, delivered his final statement in court early on Wednesday, denouncing the special counsel's case as “a delusional fantasy that defies objective facts and basic legal principles.”
“The indictment symbolizes the illusion [that people have about the state of the country] that was created by the storm which has swept this country over the past year,” Yoon said during a sentencing hearing presided over by Judge Ji Gui-yeon of the Seoul Central District Court.
The prosecution requested the death penalty for Yoon late on Tuesday — the harshest punishment available for the charge of leading an insurrection.
Reading from a prepared script for 90 minutes, Yoon harshly criticized the special counsel: “They remind me of a pack of wolves blindly chasing after the whistle blown by the Democratic Party, which holds a supermajority in the National Assembly, and by the dark forces that have long ruled this country.”
The hearing began at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, but Yoon’s legal team spent nearly nine hours presenting its final argument. The special prosecutor’s sentencing recommendation and the defense’s final statement concluded past midnight. Yoon’s personal statement was given last as part of the latter from 12:11 a.m. to 1:41 a.m. on Wednesday.
Holding A4-sized papers in his left hand, Yoon struck the desk with his right hand for emphasis and occasionally pointed a finger as he alternated between reading his script and addressing the courtroom.
“The public was initially confused about why martial law was declared, but it wasn’t long before people realized how dire the [country's] state was,” he said.
![Defendants facing charges of leading an insurrection, including former President Yoon Suk Yeol, center back, are seen during a hearing at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 9. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/14/a39dd045-a8f4-49b1-8599-1b7b1b526837.jpg)
Defendants facing charges of leading an insurrection, including former President Yoon Suk Yeol, center back, are seen during a hearing at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 9. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT]
He reiterated his previous claim that the declaration of emergency martial law was meant to “awaken the public” to what he described as a constitutional crisis caused by legislative overreach and a series of impeachment motions pushed by the opposition.
Yoon characterized the declaration as a “message” — a warning rather than a military crackdown.
“Battling pro-North leftists and antistate forces is only possible if the people are awake,” he said.
Responding to the prosecution’s claim that the declaration was motivated by a desire to stay in power, Yoon scoffed and asked, “How would I even manage a long-term dictatorship? I wouldn’t even know how to do it if I were asked.”
“How could someone like me, an idiot, even attempt a coup?” he continued. “You need political savvy for that.”
Yoon argued that the charges fail to meet the core legal requirements for insurrection — namely the intent to overthrow the constitutional order and the use of violence.
“This was not the kind of martial law from the authoritarian governments of the past,” he said. “It was meant to protect freedom and constitutional order.”
![Defendants facing charges of leading an insurrection, including former President Yoon Suk Yeol, second row far left, and former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, first row center, are seen during a hearing at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 9. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/14/bc4bf464-78e3-436c-95a6-7541731def2d.jpg)
Defendants facing charges of leading an insurrection, including former President Yoon Suk Yeol, second row far left, and former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, first row center, are seen during a hearing at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 9. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT]
Yoon added that only two actions were taken as part of the martial law: deploying order-keeping personnel to the National Assembly and assigning security inspectors to the National Election Commission.
Regarding the prosecution’s claim that he ordered lawmakers' arrests, Yoon said, “No sane person would say something like ‘Go arrest them.’ I wasn’t part of any old military cliques, such as Hanahoe.” Hanahoe refers to former President Chun Doo Hwan’s unofficial private society of military officers.
Yoon also defended senior military and police officials who were tried alongside him for insurrection-related charges.
“These were people who simply followed the martial law declaration from the president,” he said. “They've done nothing wrong.”
He concluded by taking personal responsibility: “All of this is due to my own shortcomings. Maybe I was just too naive.”
![The Seoul Central District Court is seen in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 9. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/14/42cf3f57-9bd6-40ce-a0ae-59c9a1f4947f.jpg)
The Seoul Central District Court is seen in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 9. [YONHAP]
“Please consider the grave sense of responsibility I had in trying to prevent the collapse of our constitutional order,” Yoon added, addressing the bench. “I ask for your wise judgment.”
Kim Yong-hyun, the former minister of national defense and co-defendant, was seated in front of Yoon, and he turned his chair to the right to better hear Yoon’s remarks. When Yoon said, “It’s not the first time the opposition has aligned with antistate forces,” Kim nodded in agreement.
Noh Sang-won, the former head of the Defense Intelligence Command, listened intently and appeared deep in thought during Yoon's speech.
Special Prosecutor Park Eok-su requested the death penalty for Yoon, arguing that a harsher punishment than those given to former presidents Chun and Roh Tae-woo was necessary to ensure such an incident is not repeated.
The court scheduled the sentencing hearing for 3 p.m. on Feb. 19.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM BO-REUM, CHOI SEO-IN, JO SU-BIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)