Lawyer Yin Xiyue argued that the imposition of martial law was only a formality.

On January 21, Jin10 News reported that detained South Korean President Yoon Seok-yul attended the public debate of the impeachment trial for the first time this afternoon (January 21). His lawyer, Che Ki-hwan, argued in the trial, ‘The declaration of the ‘first martial law order’ on the evening of December 3 last year during the state of emergency was only symbolic. Yoon Seok-yul had no intention of actually implementing it, nor did he have a specific implementation plan or establish an organization to execute the martial law order.’ Che Ki-hwan said, ‘In order to have the outward form of martial law, the then Minister of Defense, Kim Yong-hyeon, drafted the ‘first martial law order’ and discussed it with Yoon Seok-yul, making modifications.’ Che Ki-hwan said, ‘According to this martial law order, if the National Assembly engages in ‘illegal activities,’ the martial law forces will intervene, but there was absolutely no order to dissolve the National Assembly or ban normal parliamentary activities.’