President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has come under fiery attack since his ill-advised coup attempt on Dec. 3, defended the martial law declaration as an “act of governance” and denied insurrection charges on Thursday.

Yoon also pledged to “fight until the last moment” against impeachment or a martial law probe, revealing his intention to defy calls to step down.

The president claimed in a televised address that sending troops to the National Assembly under martial law did not constitute an act of insurrection because his intention was to protect the nation and normalize state affairs paralyzed by the main opposition party.

During the address, Yoon slammed the Democratic Party of Korea for filing impeachment charges against dozens of government officials and organizing demonstrations calling for his resignation.

Yoon justified his martial law declaration as a legitimate attempt to protect a nation in crisis as part of his legal rights as president, labeling it a “highly calibrated political judgement” that can be thwarted only through the demand of the National Assembly. To the consternation of legal experts, Yoon added that “many of you know that this is the precedent of the judiciary and the majority opinion of constitutional scholars.”

As Yoon claimed in his address, some of the blame for paralyzing state affairs can be found with the Democratic Party, which has failed to restrain itself in impeaching government officials.

But even if Yoon’s criticism against the opposition party is not groundless, it is apparent that his response against the main opposition party is not only extreme, but also dangerous for the entire nation.

Given that his martial law declaration brought about massive political disruptions and economic turbulence to the nation -- instead of stabilizing state affairs -- whether Yoon has the capacity for proper judgement as the country’s leader is now in question.

And no president, barring some autocratic nations, can assert as Yoon did concerning the National Assembly. He called the parliament, dominated by the large opposition party, a “monster” that destroys the constitutional order of free democracy.

But what should we call a president who sent troops to the National Assembly under martial law for the absurd reason to rescue the nation, and who tried to ban any political activities, block the freedom of the press and prohibit labor action?

Yoon said during the address that what he did was an “emergency act to save the nation,” but there is no doubt that people do not want to live in a country where their basic rights are restricted whenever there is a political impasse and the president can freely put the nation into an unnecessary state of emergency.

Why did Yoon suddenly deliver a public address and try to justify his actions? The main reason is that Yoon knows his political fate is now at stake, with some of the ruling People Power Party members changing their minds on the previous boycotting of the impeachment vote against Yoon.

In the first vote, the vast majority of the ruling party lawmakers boycotted the session. But more members are expected to take part in a second opposition-led impeachment vote scheduled for Saturday.

Yoon also faces insurrection charges, though he apparently is mounting a defense under the guise of an outdated concept of an “act of governance.” Yoon argued in his address that perceiving his emergency measure to save the nation as an act of insurrection puts the country’s Constitution and legal system in serious danger -- and he said this is pointed out by “many constitutional scholars and legal experts.”

Shortly after Yoon’s address, a local TV news program asked a law professor about Yoon’s claim. The professor said that Yoon seems to misunderstand the Constitution and the concept of a free democracy, and no legal expert would agree with him.

Yoon’s address lays bare his distorted opinion about the Constitution and presidential powers, as well as his lack of perception about what "abuse of power" means. As the law professor suggested, Yoon must go back to law school and retake basic lessons about the Constitution and free democracy. If a president with a dangerous mindset can declare martial law on a whim, that country is no longer a free democracy.