Detained, South Korean President Yoon Affirms Military Emergency Is Not Crime

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol who was impeached by parliament/PHOTO via Instagram @sukyeol.yoon

JAKARTA - The impeached South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, claims that the declaration of martial law is not a crime.

Yoon defended the brief implementation of martial law as an act of government in a handwritten letter delivered after his detention.

He reiterated earlier claims via uploads on Facebook, hours after he was detained by investigators for questioning over allegations of insurgency related to the military emergency decree he issued on December 3.

"Military emergency is not a crime. A military emergency is the exercise of the president's authority to overcome the national crisis," Yoon wrote, including a photo of his handwritten letter reported by ANTARA from Yonhap, Wednesday, January 15.

Yoon, whose duties have been suspended since being impeached by the South Korean National Assembly on December 14, argued that his impeachment was based on a narrative that likened the military's emergency declaration to an uprising and called it completely unreasonable.

He also criticized the recent opposition move that drew charges of rebellion in the impeachment process, calling it a fraudulent impeachment move.

The letter was shared when Yoon refused to testify during an examination by the Corruption Investigation Office for South Korean High Officials (CIO).