People watch President Yoon Suk Yeol's public address on a screen in Seoul Station, Dec. 12. Yonhap

During the 43-day saga of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law fiasco, Yoon delivered a total of six televised addresses, all of which stunned the nation and outraged many. Here is a summary of what he said, from his martial law imposition on Dec. 3 to his detention on Wednesday.

Dec. 3, martial law declared

Yoon declared martial law in an emergency press briefing at 10:23 p.m., claiming the urgent need to eradicate what he called “anti-state forces.”

"Dear citizens, I am proclaiming martial law to shield the Republic of Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eradicate the shameless pro-North, anti-state factions that are undermining our people's freedom and happiness. This is to safeguard the constitutional order of our nation," Yoon said during a five-minute live address.

The announcement stunned the nation, while both the ruling and opposition parties strongly denounced the martial law declaration and voted to revoke the decree several hours later.

Dec. 4, martial law lifted

Yoon issued the second public address at 4:27 a.m., about three and a half hours after the Assembly unanimously passed the resolution to revoke martial law.

"Last night, I declared emergency martial law with a resolute determination to save the nation in response to anti-state forces seeking to paralyze the essential functions of the state and undermine the constitutional order of liberal democracy,” he said, referring to the Assembly's repeated moves to impeach top government officials and cut the budget for “essential state functions.”

President Yoon Suk Yeol bows during a public address to apologize for his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law at the presidential office in Seoul, Dec. 7, hours before the National Assembly voted on his impeachment. Courtesy of presidential office

Dec. 7, first apology

Three days later, with the Assembly's impeachment motion vote just around the corner, Yoon issued a two-minute public address in which he said he was “sincerely sorry” for causing public concern.

“I am sincerely sorry and apologize to the people who must have been very surprised,” he said, explaining that he imposed martial law due to “desperation” as president.

“I will not avoid legal and political responsibility related to this martial law declaration,” he said, vowing to leave all decisions, including his political future, to “our” People Power Party to stabilize the country.

After the address, the ruling party solidified its stance against impeachment. All but three lawmakers were absent from the vote, helping Yoon escape the Assembly's first motion to oust him.

Dec. 12, half-hourlong excuses

Yoon's fourth emergency public address ignited widespread disappointment and anger, as he defended his short-lived martial law, calling it a decisive act of governance that is not subject to investigation or judicial review and does not amount to treason.

In a hastily planned 29-minute national address, he said he declared martial law “to prevent the collapse of free democracy and the constitutional order and normalize state functions.”

“What the hell is a two-hour rebellion? Is it insurrection to mobilize a small number of troops to maintain order?” he said, rejecting the accusation of treason.

He spent most of his address blaming opposition parties for attempting to topple the government by “assembly dictatorship,” again referring to the opposition's impeachment proceedings against key government officials and senior prosecutors at the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

In response, opposition parties condemned his address to be “extremely delusional,” with many questioning his mental state and calling for swift passage of the impeachment. The address also weakened the ruling party's stance against the president's impeachment.

Dec. 14, impeachment motion passes

Yoon released his fifth public address as the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion, in which he said, “I will pause for a while, but I will never give up.”

“I have been working with all my energy since then, without a moment of break,” he said, stressing his achievements in state affairs such as the economy, politics and diplomacy since his debut declaration as a politician on June 29, 2021.

“I have come to a halt on my difficult but happy, challenging but rewarding journey,” he said, “I will pause for a short while, but I shall never give up and stop the journey to the future that I have walked with my people for the past two and a half years.”

Yoon made no remarks about the Dec. 3 martial law imposition, which triggered the Assembly's decision to impeach the president and began setting up his legal team.

President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers an address at the presidential residence in Seoul, Wednesday, before being detained for questioning over his martial law fiasco. Courtesy of presidential office

Jan. 15, final message before arrest

Before heading to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Yoon released a sixth address to his supporters.

In a three-minute speech, he explained that he had decided to “voluntarily” appear for questioning to “prevent a violent clash” between investigators and the PSS after an hourslong standoff.

However, Yoon had rejected all of the CIO's requests to appear for questioning and blocked the execution of arrest warrants by mobilizing PSS personnel for over a week.

He maintained that the investigation and warrant were illegal.

“As the president who must defend the country's Constitution and legal system, responding to this illegal and invalid warrant execution is not an acknowledgment of the CIO's legal authority to investigate the case, but simply a desire to prevent clashes,” he said.

Yoon improvised the video message without prior consultation with his lawyers.