Tag: Yoon Suk-yeol

If Yoon was trying to arrest members of the Korean parliament, it was the most incompetent coup attempt ever:

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday he ordered sending troops to offices of the National Election Commission (NEC) during his martial law declaration as he has suspected election fraud allegations.

Yoon made the admission while attending the fifth formal hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, where he again denied allegations that he ordered military commanders to drag lawmakers out of parliament in an attempt to prevent them from blocking the martial law imposition. (……)

Yoon is also alleged to have sent military troops to the National Assembly to keep lawmakers from voting down the martial law declaration and to have planned to arrest key political figures.

“Nothing actually happened (during martial law decree) … I feel like we are chasing the moon’s shadow on a lake,” Yoon said. “You would know the true nature of this case if you saw it based on common sense.”

Yoon claimed that dragging lawmakers from parliament could not have been possible as there are thousands of civilians in the National Assembly compound and troops were withdrawn after martial law was lifted.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is impeached President Yoon’s opinion on his martial law decree:

 Indicted over charges of leading an insurrection in December, President Yoon Suk Yeol defended his decision to declare martial law in a meeting with his legal representatives on Tuesday.

Seok Dong-hyeon, one of Yoon’s lawyers, told reporters that Yoon wondered aloud how his decision to impose martial law on Dec. 3 could be considered an act of insurrection when “everything was done within the boundaries of the Constitution.” (…….)

According to Seok, Yoon said he exercised his constitutional rights to declare martial law to inform the people of the crisis that the nation was facing, with the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) having taken over parliament.

Yoon also noted that he immediately lifted the martial law once the National Assembly voted down his declaration.

Yoon told his lawyers that his action could not constitute an act of insurrection because there had not been any bloodshed or casualties, nor had there been any arrest of politicians.

Seok said Yoon claimed that he had never intended to maintain martial law for an extended stretch of time because he had not prepared any manual on how to run the administrative and judicial branches in such a state, and because he had fully expected the National Assembly to promptly vote it down.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

At least Yoon was allowed out of jail to finally attend the impeachment trial:

President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared for the first time at his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, speaking of his long-held belief in “liberal democracy” and asking the bench to consider him favorably.

Yoon arrived at the court in a convoy escorted by the Presidential Security Service from the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, just south of the capital, where he has been held in custody since last Wednesday.

At 2 p.m., he entered the courtroom, dressed in a suit and red tie, and sat waiting for the eight justices to arrive for the third hearing of the trial deliberating his impeachment over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.

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.

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.

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.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.