During a briefing, the court's spokesperson Lee Jin explained that the documents were first delivered via Korea Post on Dec. 16 but were returned with the explanation that the "recipient was not available." A second delivery attempt on Dec. 18 to the president's office residence in Hannam-dong also failed.
On Thursday, Korea Post made a third attempt to deliver the documents. At 10:14 a.m., security officials at his residence refused to accept them. A subsequent delivery to the presidential office at 11:38 a.m. was also returned, again citing the absence of the recipient.
Lee said that the court is considering alternative options, including leaving the documents at the designated addresses, as that could be deemed as receiving them. The court will make its decision during a press briefing scheduled for Dec. 23 to avoid further delays ahead of its first public hearing, slated for Dec. 27.
The rejection of the documents follows Yoon’s firm stance on the impeachment proceedings. Yoon's legal representative, Seok Dong-hyun, reiterated on Thursday that the president’s declaration of martial law does not constitute rebellion, adding that Yoon is "firm in his position."
The National Assembly passed an impeachment motion on Dec. 14, suspending Yoon from his duties. The motion, approved by a vote of 204 to 85, cited allegations of rebellion and abuse of power. It came 11 days after Yoon's abrupt declaration of emergency martial law on Dec. 3, during which scores of Special Warfare Command (SWC) soldiers were deployed to government facilities, including the National Assembly, in response to what Yoon described as threats to national security.
In a televised address on Dec. 3 at 10:30 p.m., Yoon criticized the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), accusing it of undermining state functions by slashing next year’s budget in key areas. He claimed the party had "pushed Korea into becoming a drug haven and a state of public safety collapse," and further accused lawmakers of "paralyzing the nation's judicial and administrative systems through legislative dictatorship and attempting to overthrow the liberal democratic order."
Martial law was lifted approximately three hours later, at 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 4, after 190 lawmakers unanimously voted to end it. The vote proceeded despite martial forces attempting to breach the National Assembly’s main hall to disrupt the session.
Seok defended Yoon’s decision to impose martial law, arguing that it was necessary to restore governance in an unprecedented emergency. " Yoon has never even considered the possibility of rebellion charges. He believes that there is no such thing as a rebellion publicly announced to the people and the world through a press briefing saying, 'I’m starting a rebellion.' Nor does he think a rebellion would end just because the National Assembly tells him to stop within two or three hours," Seok said.
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