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.
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.”
You can read more at the link.
This could get really ugly if the Korean police try to raid the Presidential office and get into a fight with Presidential security:
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in a message to conservative supporters rallying outside his Seoul residence, vowed to “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces,” while his legal team warned Thursday that police officers attempting to detain him could face arrest by his presidential security service or even civilians.
Yoon’s latest statement of defiance came as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials prepared to execute a detainment warrant against him that was issued by a Seoul court on Tuesday and is valid for one week. The warrant was issued after Yoon evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office, hindering an investigation into whether his short-lived power grab on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion.
Oh Dong-woon, the anti-corruption agency’s chief prosecutor, has indicated that police forces might be deployed if Yoon’s security service resists the detention attempt, which could occur as early as Thursday. But it remains unclear whether Yoon can be compelled to submit to questioning. Yoon’s legal team issued a statement on Thursday warning that any attempt by the anti-corruption agency to use police units for his detention would exceed their legal authority. The lawyers said police officers could face arrest by either the “presidential security service or any citizens” if they try to detain Yoon. They didn’t elaborate further on the claim.
You can read more at the link.
President Yoon is so unpopular in South Korea I doubt these boycotts by his supporters will have any impact on sales:
Singer and actor IU promotes New Balance’s apparel in this undated photo. Courtesy of E-Land
Political disputes about President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his botched martial law declaration have had unexpected impacts on brands endorsed by IU and other celebrities, who supported protests against him, as well as on companies related to his allies.
On Friday, IU’s agency announced that the singer prepaid for food and hand warmers for her fans participating in a candlelight protest for Yoon’s impeachment near the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. After the announcement, Yoon’s supporters began to encourage the boycott of companies who hired her as a spokesmodel, sharing the list of brands.
On the list were New Balance, HiteJinro and Woori Bank.
Although her endorsement agreements with water brand Jeju Samdasoo and Domino’s Pizza have already ended, the names of the brands were also on the list shared by pro-Yoon consumers.
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.
The Democratic Party would need to get 8 votes from President Yoon’s People Power Party to impeach him. It will be interesting to see what the PPP does because its leadership has clashed with Yoon as well. If the PPP decides to support impeachment they are essentially handing the Presidency to Lee Jae-myung and the Korean left. However if the PPP does decide to support impeachment I can’t really blame them because the martial law attempt was preposterous:
President Yoon Suk Yeol has come under growing attacks from the main opposition party to face impeachment or charges of treason, in the wake of his short-lived attempt to impose martial law that was blocked by the National Assembly. (Yonhap)
You can read more at the link, but any treason charges is going to depend on if the Constitutional Court finds that what Yoon did was Constitutional or not.
Much of these controversies like handbag-gate were manufactured by his political opponents, but the fact his poll numbers have nosedived below 20% has pretty much forced President Yoon to make this public apology:
President Yoon Suk Yeol offered an apology Thursday for causing concerns to the people and vowed to revamp state affairs amid growing controversies surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee.
Yoon stood up and bowed his head in apology during a televised address and press conference marking the second half of his term and providing an outline of the future policy direction. (….)
Yoon addressed the concerns over the first lady, who has faced criticism over allegations involving her acceptance of a luxury handbag, stock manipulation and involvement in government affairs.
“She should have conducted herself with greater caution, and the fact that she has caused concern to the public is unquestionably wrong,” he said.
Yoon said Kim should have acted more cautiously and it was wrong for her actions to have caused public concern, noting he appointed a secretary earlier in the day to prepare for the establishment of an office dedicated to supporting the first lady’s work.
You can read more at the link, but some of these controversies could have been prevented if the First Lady had an office initially to filter some of the nonsense that got here in trouble.
The doctor crisis appears to be crushing President Yoon’s approval rating:
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval rating fell to 20 percent, marking its lowest level since he took office in May 2022, a poll showed Friday.
The survey, conducted by the polling agency Gallup Korea, showed that the positive assessment of Yoon’s performance plunged 3 percentage points from the previous week, while his negative assessment reached an all-time high of 70 percent, up 3 percent from a week earlier.
Yoon’s handling of medical school quotas, the economy and lack of communication were cited as reasons for the negative assessment.
The approval ratings of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), the main opposition Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party came to 28 percent, 33 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
You can read more at the link, but if the Yoon administration stands firm on the medical school quota issue the current short term pain of the current doctor strike will ultimately lead to more doctors in the long term.
