The South Korean National Assembly’s legal team has demanded the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol from office during the final impeachment hearing at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday. The case revolves around Yoon’s controversial declaration of martial law on December 3, which the Assembly argues was unconstitutional.

While Yoon was absent during the initial proceedings, he is expected to appear later to make his final statement, addressing the reasoning behind his decision and possibly issuing a public apology.

“It became clear through evidence that Yoon violated the Constitution and laws through acts of insurrection,” said Song Doo-hwan, one of the National Assembly’s lawyers. “It is hard to imagine a graver case of unconstitutionality and illegality.”

Following the Assembly’s arguments, Yoon’s legal team will present their defense before the President and Representative Jung Chung-rai of the main opposition Democratic Party, head of the impeachment panel, make their closing statements.

Yoon is likely to justify his martial law decision as a governance measure intended to caution the opposition against repeated impeachments of officials and government budget cuts. He is also expected to challenge the legality of his investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the prosecution.

The impeachment motion accuses Yoon of violating the Constitution by imposing martial law without a national emergency and bypassing key procedures such as Cabinet approval and parliamentary notification.

Jung has stated that he will use his closing statement to argue why Yoon should be removed, highlighting discrepancies in the President’s claims and presenting a path forward for the nation.

Legal experts anticipate that the Constitutional Court will issue a verdict within two weeks, following the precedents set in the impeachment cases of former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye.