Impossibly, Yoon could face the death penalty if he was found guilty of preparing a coup in last year’s declaration of martial law.
Former South Korean President Yun Sook Yeol denied the charges of the rebellion after his criminal trial was held.
The exiled leader argued at Seoul Central District Court on Monday that his declaration of martial law was “not a coup.” If he commits a crime of rioting, Yoon could be sentenced to life in prison or sentenced to death.
Yoon was officially stripped of his position earlier this month after being fired and suspended by lawmakers on the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.
Prosecutors accused Yoon of launching their lawsuits and attempting to paralyze state institutions such as Congress by claiming that he lacked a legal basis for declaring martial law.
“The defendant … made it impossible for the constitutional system to exercise its powers based on illegal declarations,” the prosecutor said.
Before becoming president, Yoon, the country’s top prosecutor, spent about 40 minutes rebutting the allegations.
“March law is not a coup,” the former president said. He added that although he had no intention of paralyzing the country, martial law was necessary to warn people of the actions of numerous opposition parties.
He said the opposition had covered the government with plaster by blasting over 20 officials, but he viewed it as a risky threshold.
“This was a peaceful ‘martial law’ to the nation… I knew this martial law would end in half a day – a day,” Yun said.
He had told the intention to Kim Yong Hyun, a national defense at the time, but Yoon argued that military officials who carried out the orders appeared to have stomped on it as they were used to martial law training under different guidelines.
The declaration of martial law cited the need to eradicate the “anti-rock” element, six hours after Congressional staff tried to use barricades and fire extinguishers to drive away special operations soldiers and enter Congress, was lifted six hours after lawmakers voted to reject martial law.
The court hears witnesses testimony from two military officers called to the prosecutors. He claims that he was instructed to “tear lawmakers who had gathered in Parliament to lift martial law.” Yoon denied the allegation.
Experts say Yoon’s criminal trials are likely to be long.
“The first verdict is likely to take place around August, but the case contains around 70,000 pages of evidence and numerous witnesses. Therefore, the trial could be extended if it appears necessary by the court,” lawyer Min Kyoung-SIC told AFP news agency.
If convicted, Yoon will become the third South Korean president to commit the crime of rebellion after two military leaders related to the 1979 coup.
He could be sentenced to death, but it is very unlikely that a sentence will be made as South Korea has given an informal order for the first execution since 1997.
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