Seoul: Former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min denied Tuesday that he ordered cutting off power and water to major media outlets during the short-lived imposition of martial law or received such instructions from President Yoon Suk Yeol. Lee made the remarks as a witness during the seventh formal hearing of Yoon's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, referring to allegations in the prosecution's indictment of Yoon that the president ordered him around midnight on Dec. 3 to cut off power and water to Hankyoreh, the Kyunghyang Shinmun, MBC and JTBC -- left-leaning media outlets critical of Yoon -- as well as opinion polling agency Flower Research.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee stated, "Such measures were completely excluded from the martial law (decree) so I don't think there was reason to give such instructions." He further explained, "It was a known fact that the interior minister has no authority to command the police or the firefighting agency, and the president knew that better than anyone, so he would not have given me such form of instructions."
However, Lee did acknowledge seeing a note on Yoon's desk headed with the phrase "National Fire Agency chief" and listing the names of the media outlets and the polling agency. "I saw a few notes from afar inside the president's office and one of them mentioned the fire agency cutting off power and water," he recounted.
The minister also testified about his attempts to dissuade Yoon from declaring martial law when summoned to the presidential office on the night of Dec. 3. "After 11 Cabinet members had gathered, President Yoon reentered wearing a suit and we discouraged the president," Lee said. Despite the advice, Yoon proceeded, citing his awareness of the potential economic and diplomatic impacts.
Prior to Lee's testimony, President Yoon addressed the bench, expressing his opposition to the use of prosecution reports as evidence due to inconsistent testimonies from various investigation agencies. Acting court President Moon Hyung-bae indicated he would discuss the issue with other justices.
The impeachment trial is nearing its conclusion, with one more scheduled hearing on Thursday, though additional sessions may be designated. National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik, former third deputy director of the National Intelligence Service Baek Jong-wook, and National Election Commission secretary-general Kim Yong-bin are set to testify, focusing on Yoon's claims of election fraud - a purported reason for the martial law declaration.
Yoon, impeached by the National Assembly in December on charges of inciting an insurrection, awaits the Constitutional Court's decision on whether to uphold the impeachment and remove him from office or to dismiss the charges and reinstate him. He remains in detention pending a separate criminal trial on the insurrection charges.