[Edaily Reporter Jang Yeong-Rak ] In the case involving charges of being the ringleader of an insurrection, former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s legal team released video footage showing President Lee Jae-myung (then a lawmaker) scaling the National Assembly fence during the state of emergency as evidence. The video was presented as evidence to support the claim that “since some lawmakers scaled the fence, the National Assembly was not under lockdown.”

On the morning of the 1st, during the continuation of the appellate hearing for the insurrection ringleader case held before the 12-1 Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Lee Seung-cheol, Jo Jin-gu, and Kim Min-ah), former President Yoon’s legal team played CCTV footage from the National Assembly grounds taken immediately after the declaration of martial law. They argued that since no measures were taken to prevent people from scaling the wall, the National Assembly was not under lockdown.
The footage included CCTV footage showing a figure believed to be President Lee Jae-myung—who was a Democratic Party lawmaker at the time—getting out of a car around 11:02 p.m. on the day martial law was declared and climbing over the fence to enter the National Assembly. President Lee even livestreamed the process of climbing the fence on YouTube at the time.
The defense repeatedly argued that the National Assembly was not sealed off, stating, “Just moments later, at around 11:07 p.m., access was officially permitted for National Assembly members.” Footage was also shown of staff members entering the National Assembly through the gates after presenting their access cards.
The defense argued, “It is questionable whether the scenes we are now seeing can be called a riot based on the claim that the police sealed off the National Assembly,” adding, “The actual footage confirms that it was impossible to seal off or block access with the police personnel deployed at the time.”
In the first-instance trial, former President Yoon was found guilty of being the ringleader of an insurrection related to the December 3 state of emergency and sentenced to life imprisonment.