Tag: South Korea

Talk about getting bad advice from someone, Kim Yong-hyun is a fool to think ROK Soldiers would go along with this martial law attempt:

On Sunday, ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun was taken into custody at a Seoul detention facility after undergoing an investigation by prosecutors, a law enforcement official said, requesting anonymity in line with privacy rules. The official gave no further details. But South Korean media reported that Kim voluntarily appeared at a Seoul prosecutors’ office, where he had his mobile phone confiscated and was detained.

The reports said police searched Kim’s former office and residence on Sunday. Repeated calls to Seoul prosecutors’ offices and police agency were unanswered. Senior prosecutor Park Se-hyun said in a televised statement Sunday that authorities launched a 62-member special investigation team on the marital law case. Park, who will head the team, said the probe would “leave no suspicions.” Yoon accepted Kim’s resignation offer on Thursday after opposition parties submitted a separate impeachment motion against him.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but a six month resignation window would give the political parties enough time to select a candidate and conduct an effective campaign in my opinion. Those pushing for a constitutional change to a four year Presidential term are likely trying to save Yoon the humiliation of resigning:

The PPP leadership is under growing pressure to present a unified exit plan as opposition parties have vowed to submit a second impeachment motion as early as Wednesday, with plans to table the motion at a plenary session on Thursday. The lack of a consensus on Yoon’s exit plan within the PPP may threaten a unified front to boycott a second impeachment motion.

PPP lawmakers aligned with Han have advocated for Yoon to step down as early as within six months, a scenario that would trigger a presidential election within 60 days from his removal in accordance with related laws. 

However, pro-Yoon lawmakers are calling for a more gradual timeline, with some suggesting a constitutional amendment to shorten the presidential term. This process could delay his resignation until 2026.

The president’s five-year term officially ends in May 2027, but his political career has been cut short following the martial law fiasco on Dec. 3, with growing public calls for impeachment.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It looks like South Korea will not have its president attending any international events any time soon:

President Yoon Suk Yeol was placed under a travel ban Monday pending an investigation into treason and other charges related to his short-lived imposition of martial law last week, with political turmoil deepening over Yoon’s political future.

The ban was imposed by the justice ministry shortly after the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said it had submitted a request for the order.

Yoon has been booked as a suspect in simultaneous investigations conducted by the police, the prosecution and the CIO over his surprise declaration of martial law last Tuesday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is another interesting article from the Joong Ang Ilbo which explains the perspective a ROK Army brigade commander had on the night of the martial law attempt. He thought his troops were responding to a terrorist attack on the national assembly. Once the situation became more clear what was going on he had his troops retreat:

Brig. Gen. Lee Sang-hyun, head of the 1st Airborne Brigade of Korea’s Special Warfare Command

The 1st Airborne Brigade of Korea’s Special Warfare Command was the unit that was directly dispatched to the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law Tuesday night. 
  
Two battalions, consisting of about 250 soldiers in total, were deployed to Yeouido at the time. About 210 soldiers entered the parliamentary grounds while the rest entered the main building of the National Assembly. 
  
“The upper commanders told us to take the lawmakers out of the [National Assembly] even if it means breaking the doors or cutting electricity,” said Brigadier General Lee Sang-hyun, commander of the 1st Airborne Brigade, in a phone interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily. “I was shocked.” (…………….)

At first, I thought there had been a terrorist attack. No one knew what was going on even in our intelligence team. Then I remembered that Kwak had ordered me ‘not to distribute live ammunition to the soldiers’ while giving instructions for the deployment. That made me think it might not be a terror situation. (…….)

The battalion commander said National Assembly aides are confronting them, blocking their path by stacking objects. The commander said the 707th Special Mission Group were also alongside them, adding that it seems strange that civilians are blocking their way because if it is a terror attack they would make way for the soldiers to get inside.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but he ultimately had his troops retreat after being told to break down doors and pull lawmakers out of the National Assembly.

The Joong Ang Ilbo has a gun rundown of events that happened the night President Yoon declared martial law. Even the conservative Joong Ang Ilbo believes illegal acts were committed:

Commander Kwak Jong-geun from the Army Special Warfare Command, center, talks during an interview with Democratic Party Rep. Kim Byung-joo, left, streamed on Kim’s YouTube channel on Friday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

It turned out that Yoon made direct calls to the commanders of the Army Special Warfare Command and Capital Defense Command (CDC) to confirm the movements of troops. It was also revealed that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun ordered the commanders to stand by even before the martial law declaration and deploy the armed forces prior to the issuance, which could also be seen as an attempt to take control of the National Assembly and the National Election Commission, led by a few figures in key roles under Yoon’s authority. 
  
Based on the testimonies of relevant figures at the National Assembly and media interviews, it is highly likely that the top-secret movements by those chosen by the president were carried out with total disregard for the chain of command, even before the decree came into force. In other words, some illegal acts may have been committed. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

Here is why the martial law attempt failed:

Lieutenant Generals Kwak Jong-geun of the Army Special Warfare Command and Lee Jin-woo of the Capital Defense Command stated that they received a standby order from former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun both before and after Yoon’s proclamation of martial law.  
  
They added that Yoon was involved in the process of ordering the movement of troops. This could be an important clue in determining who is responsible for the armed forces deployment as the order bypassed the martial law commander, who has full command in a martial law situation. (………)

“Through a call, I was ordered by Kim to secure the National Assembly facilities and National Election Commission facilities, as well as to mobilize armed forces to control those,” Kwak added in the interview. 
  
The lieutenant general said he was also ordered to pull out lawmakers from the plenary session, but he “did not respond due to the certain illegality.”

The martial law attempt has caused a political crisis in South Korea, but one thing ROK citizens should be proud of is that their military did not go along with this attempt to silence the democratically elected opposition. If Lt. Gen. Kwak obeyed the order and fully sealed off the National Assembly and NEC we might be in a very different Korea right now. Fortunately he did not.

I would think what President Yoon is likely trying to negotiate is an exit where he is arrested by whatever future administration takes power. Over the coming days we should learn more on how this is all going to play out, but for now it looks like Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon are calling the shots for South Korea:

Ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon vowed Sunday to minimize the fallout from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law declaration with the president’s “early” and “orderly” departure.

The move came a day after a motion to impeach Yoon fell through due to a lack of quorum, with all but three PPP lawmakers boycotting the vote.

“Through an orderly early departure of the president, we will minimize the chaos for the Republic of Korea and its people, stabilize the political situation and restore liberal democracy,” Han said at the PPP headquarters in western Seoul. 

The party leader stressed that the majority of the public believes that Yoon should step down, as he is unable to govern normally for the remainder of his term.

In what appeared to be an attempt to ease concern among the public and the international community, he said the president will not take part in state affairs, including diplomacy, even before his departure.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I don’t see how President Yoon stays in power because this is clearly a hint from the PPP leader that they will join the opposition in impeachment if he doesn’t suspend his Presidential powers:

The leader of the ruling party said Friday that President Yoon Suk Yeol needs to be swiftly suspended from exercising power, revealing that Yoon ordered the arrests of prominent politicians during his aborted martial law declaration.

Han Dong-hoon of the People Power Party (PPP) said there is a possibility that the president may again take a “radical” action like the botched declaration of martial law if Yoon clings to the presidential power. 

“Given the newly revealed facts, I believe it is necessary to promptly suspend President Yoon Suk Yeol from his duties to protect the Republic of Korea and its people,” Han told an emergency meeting of the party’s leadership at the National Assembly, referring to South Korea by its official name. 

Han pointed out it was confirmed Thursday that Yoon had instructed Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung to detain key political figures, accusing them of being “anti-state” forces, and had even mobilized intelligence to detain them. (Yonhap)

You can read more at the link.

It appears Korean business owners are expecting the Trump administration to use tariffs on ROK exports if they are this concerned:

More than 8 out of 10 South Korean companies expect Donald Trump’s reelection as U.S. president will have a negative impact on the national economy, a survey showed Sunday.

In the annual survey on 239 companies with at least 30 employees on their management, 82 percent said the Korean economy will be negatively affected by the protectionist policy of the incoming second Trump administration as it has high dependence on exports, according to the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF).

Only 7.5 percent answered the Korean economy will benefit from his reelection thanks to his China policy, expected to be aimed at curbing the growth of the world’s second-largest economy.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.