Category: Politics-Korea

I wonder who in the South Korean political establishment Senator Kim is directing his comments towards? The person taking the most advantage of this situation is clearly Lee Jae-myung who is set to become President if Yoon is impeached:

Andy Kim, the first-ever Korean American senator, underscored the need Wednesday for South Korea to focus on ensuring stability amid political uncertainty caused by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law bid, while cautioning against any move to use the situation to advance “political ambitions.”

Kim (D-NJ) made the remarks as South Korea has been thrust into a period of political turmoil following Yoon’s short-lived martial law imposition on Dec. 3 and his impeachment on Dec. 14.

“It’s really a critical time for stability, not for any particular person to try to use this to advance their own political ambitions,” Kim said during a meeting with Korean and Asian American reporters at the Capitol in Washington.

“It’s about stabilizing it first and foremost,” he added, noting South Korean politicians need to be “very careful and thoughtful” with their thoughts and actions as they are “under a microscope.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is some more unflattering news about President Yoon:

Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported that President Yoon Suk Yeol frequently mentioned martial law starting around April last year, coinciding with Korea’s general elections.

Citing a former cabinet minister under the Yoon administration who dined with the president several times, Asahi reported, “Yoon began bringing up the term ‘martial law’ more frequently in gatherings after the ruling party’s crushing defeat in the April elections last year. His stress levels and alcohol consumption increased as well.”

According to the report, Yoon often drank at venues such as a government residence in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. These gatherings typically included samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), paired with rounds of “somaek” — a shot of soju mixed with beer. Apparently, Yoon drank up to 20 glasses of somaek in a single sitting.

The former minister said, “Most people fill their somaek glasses halfway, but the president filled his to the brim. While drinking, the president would criticize opposition politicians, though he sometimes directed criticism at ruling party members as well.”

The report speculated that this habit may stem from Yoon’s days as a prosecutor when he drank a mix of whiskey and beer called “Ten-Ten.” This potent drink, designed for quick intoxication, was said to be popular among prosecutors.

A former foreign affairs aide from Yoon’s administration revealed that these drinking sessions frequently lasted until dawn.

“Even the security personnel stationed at the president’s facilities expressed frustration over the long hours they had to endure during these late-night gatherings,” the aide said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

President Yoon’s lawyers understand that the Constitutional Court impeachment trial is really the main event to be focused on. If the Constitutional Court does not approve of his impeachment and he remains President, the CIO is going to have a harder time justifying their case:

President Yoon Suk Yeol will comply with legal procedures if he is indicted or a formal arrest warrant is sought over his short-lived martial law, rather than the current warrant for temporary detention, his lawyers said, Wednesday. 

They also said the president is willing to attend his impeachment trial hearings at the Constitutional Court without restrictions, as long as the ongoing controversy over the removal of insurrection charges is resolved.

However, it remains to be seen if the president’s side will truly comply with the legal procedures, as he has not done so with the detention warrant issued at the request of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which is leading a joint investigation with the police and the defense ministry.

The lawyers reiterated their stance of non-cooperation with the CIO’s detention warrant, which has been extended. A detention warrant is typically issued when investigators need to take immediate custody of a suspect for questioning before seeking a formal arrest warrant. This allows them to detain a suspect for 48 hours, and if they wish to continue questioning under custody, they must seek a separate arrest warrant.

Yoon has refused to cooperate with the detention warrant, arguing that the anti-corruption agency lacks legal grounds for investigating the insurrection charges.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It seems to me fleeing his official residence would be a stupid move. If he is trying to avoid the CIO from detaining him his official residence would be more secure than anywhere else he could go:

Police said Wednesday they are tracking President Yoon Suk Yeol’s location amid rumors he may have fled from his residence while facing the threat of arrest over his short-lived imposition of martial law.

“We cannot specifically disclose President Yoon’s location,” a police official told Yonhap News Agency. “We continue to track his location.”

Yoon is believed to have been largely holed up at his official residence in central Seoul since the National Assembly impeached him on Dec. 14 over his failed martial law bid earlier that month.

Police confirmed he was home last Friday when investigators tried to execute a warrant to detain him before withdrawing five hours later amid a standoff with presidential security staff, according to sources. He was home at least until early this week, they said.

Rumors that he may have fled were sparked Tuesday by Oh Dong-woon, chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, who told lawmakers during a parliamentary session that he had heard nothing specific about whether Yoon remained home.

When asked if Yoon could have fled, he answered, “We’re thinking about various possibilities.”

In an interview with KBS radio Wednesday, Rep. Ahn Gyu-back of the main opposition Democratic Party claimed he had information Yoon has already left the residence and is hiding in a “third location.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Hersheys seems to having a bump in sales in South Korea due to the current political turmoil:

Hershey’s Kisses, a staple product of global chocolate company Hershey, have traditionally struggled to shine in South Korea despite their popularity abroad. Often seen as a “filler product” in convenience stores and supermarkets, they typically experience modest sales even on Valentine’s Day. However, a recent event has given the chocolate a surprising moment in the spotlight.

According to a report by a major convenience store chain on Monday, sales of Hershey’s Kisses at its stores nationwide increased by 8.4 percent compared to the previous week.

The company noted that this spike is unusual for Hershey’s Kisses, which typically see steady but unremarkable demand. The unexpected surge is attributed to a viral moment involving a protest group nicknamed the “Kisses Protesters.”

On Jan. 5, protesters gathered in front of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, calling for his arrest.

The group earned the nickname “Kisses Protesters” due to their appearance — many participants wrapped themselves in silver foil thermal blankets to endure the freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall. The blankets resembled the silver foil wrapping of Hershey’s Kisses, sparking the nickname.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It looks like the DPK is trying to set conditions to now impeach acting President Choi next:

 A special committee of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday it will file a complaint against acting President Choi Sang-mok for alleged dereliction of duty.

Choi has been criticized by opposition lawmakers for not ordering the Presidential Security Service (PSS) to cooperate with attempts by investigators to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

During a press conference at the National Assembly, the committee slammed Choi for eventually allowing the PSS to block the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) from executing a warrant to detain Yoon.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but remember the DPK initially threatened to impeach Choi, now they are threatening this complaint instead. I think the rising approval rate for Yoon may make the DPK think twice about trying to impeach Choi. The Korean public seems to be losing patience with the DPK’s antics and increasingly siding with Yoon despite the martial law fiasco.

This is pretty incredible how quickly President Yoon’s approval rating has jumped despite being impeached for the martial law fiasco. The article is speculating that conservatives in Korea are rallying around Yoon because of how much they despite the opposition leader Lee Jae-myung:

In the first several months after his inauguration in May 2022, President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval rating quickly fell below 40 percent in most polls and never recovered to that level again.

His controversial decision to declare martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, appeared to seal his fate as a failed leader rejected by the people including those who voted for him, with some surveys showing his popularity plunging to as low as 11 percent.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, his approval rating is now bouncing back — surpassing the levels seen before the martial law declaration.

A poll conducted between Jan. 3 and 4 by KOPRA found that 40 percent of respondents supported Yoon. In a poll conducted by the same pollster four months ago, 30 percent did.

In another survey released on Monday by Realmeter, his party also enjoyed a jump in support, with 34.4 percent saying they support the ruling People Power Party, up from 30.6 percent in a poll conducted a week earlier.

Meanwhile, the approval rating for the opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) inched down to 45.2 percent from 45.8 percent in the Realmeter poll. The figure surged to 52.4 percent in the week that followed Yoon’s six-hour imposition of military rule, and has been decreasing since.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

As long as Presidential security remains loyal to President Yoon I don’t see how they are going to be able to arrest him. However, if the Constitutional Court validates Yoon’s impeachment that is when I suspect Presidential security will allow him to be arrested. This is why the authorities should probably wait for the Constitutional Court to render their verdict first before trying to arrest Yoon:

The state anti-corruption agency has asked the police to take over the execution of a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, both sides said Monday.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) made the request in an official letter late Sunday with one day left until the warrant’s expiry.

“The CIO sent us an official letter requesting our cooperation without prior consultations,” a police official told Yonhap News Agency. “We are internally carrying out a legal review.”

The CIO halted its execution of the warrant last Friday after an hourslong standoff with presidential security staff at the presidential residence. (……)

Sources said the CIO’s letter was prompting complaints within the police that the agency was trying to shift its responsibilities after passively executing the warrant last Friday.

Yoon’s legal team has rejected the warrant as illegal and invalid, noting the CIO is not technically authorized to investigate charges of insurrection that Yoon faces over his martial law decree.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.