Seoul, Jan 12 (NationPress) A former member of South Korea’s leading opposition People Power Party (PPP), Ihn Yohan, has openly condemned the martial law declaration made by ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday. Ihn stated he once believed Yoon had a legitimate reason for this drastic measure.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Ihn conveyed his profound disappointment regarding the ongoing crisis, which he expressed while congratulating Representative Lee So-hee, who took over his proportional representative seat following his resignation last month, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

“When martial law was enacted a year ago, I presumed there was a national crisis that the president was unable to fully disclose to the populace,” he remarked. “I believed there had to be a compelling and urgent justification for the commander-in-chief to make such a declaration.”

“However, that was not the reality,” he continued.

Ihn reflected on the devastating consequences of a wrongful martial law declaration, recalling being branded an instigator while interpreting for foreign journalists during the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju.

“What has unfolded in the past year since the martial law is deeply disheartening and humiliating,” he declared.

He also expressed wishes for Lee to thrive as a legislator, contrasting it with his own self-described status as a “failed” lawmaker.

Ihn, who had closely aligned with Yoon and secured a proportional seat during the April 10 general elections last year, resigned in mid-December, stating that South Korea had moved past the “unfortunate events” stemming from Yoon's unsuccessful martial law attempt.

A great-grandson of American missionary Eugene Bell, Ihn was born in 1959 in Suncheon, located 290 kilometers south of Seoul in South Jeolla Province, and worked as a medical doctor prior to his political career.

Meanwhile, a Seoul court convened on Monday for the inaugural hearing of Yoon Suk Yeol’s trial concerning allegations of benefiting the enemy, linked to claims of dispatching military drones to Pyongyang in 2024.

This hearing took place privately at the Seoul Central District Court, with Yoon, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and Yeo In-hyung, the former head of the Defence Counterintelligence Command, in attendance.

Yoon and the other two individuals face charges of aiding the enemy in connection with the alleged drone dispatch to North Korea’s capital in October 2024.

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk’s team suspects the purported dispatch was intended to provoke retaliation from the North, which could have then served as a pretext for Yoon’s martial law declaration two months later.

The team has charged Yoon with “benefiting the enemy in general,” based on their assessment that the drone dispatch resulted in the leakage of military secrets to the North when they reportedly crashed near Pyongyang.

The court has indicated it will decide at each session whether to continue with the trial behind closed doors, citing state secrets involved in the case.

The ousted former president is currently facing multiple charges related to his failed martial law attempt, including accusations of leading an insurrection.