Time for Yoon to regain composure and comply
Published: 02 Jan. 2025, 20:00
Despite a court-issued arrest warrant, President Yoon Suk Yeol remains holed up in his residence, refusing to comply. Adding to the absurdity, he released a handwritten message on Wednesday, distributed by his lawyer, Seok Dong-hyeon, to supporters gathered outside his residence. The contents, written on a single sheet of A4 paper, were shocking for what they omitted: not a single word of apology to the public for the suffering caused by the Dec. 3 martial law declaration and the resulting national turmoil.
Instead, Yoon repeated his outlandish claim that “South Korea is in danger due to internal and external forces threatening its sovereignty and integrity.” He vowed to “fight to the end with all of you to defend this nation.” Rather than addressing the national crisis he created, he incited his supporters with inflammatory rhetoric. Particularly disturbing was his admission that he has been watching the demonstrations via livestream on politically charged YouTube channels.
Yesterday, Yoon’s legal team escalated the drama, asserting that if police units attempt to enforce the warrant, “he could be arrested by anyone, including members of the Presidential Security Service or ordinary citizens.” This outrageous defiance from a president accused of leading an insurrection through martial law leaves one speechless. Contrary to his claim that the martial law was merely a “warning,” prosecutors have secured testimony that Yoon personally instructed military commanders to break into the National Assembly using axes and firearms to arrest lawmakers.
Before the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion, Yoon repeatedly promised that he would not evade “legal or political accountability.” Yet, since the impeachment was approved on Dec. 14, his behavior has been anything but cooperative. He has refused three summonses from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and is now outright ignoring the warrant.
Yoon’s justification for avoiding the investigation is his claim that the CIO lacks jurisdiction over insurrection charges. However, this argument has been rendered moot by the court’s decision to grant the warrant requested by the CIO. Even so, Yoon’s team continues to find excuses, now questioning the role of police units in enforcing the warrant. It has reached a point where even People Power Party lawmaker Kim Sang-wook, himself a lawyer, publicly urged Yoon to “stop acting like a slippery eel” in a CBS interview. How humiliating it must be for a former prosecutor general to be chastised in such terms by a freshman member of his own party. Yet, Yoon continues to incite his supporters, urging them to “stay strong” and claiming he will “surely prevail.”
It is time for President Yoon to regain his composure and comply with the judicial process. A man who once prided himself on his prosecutorial career must stop trampling on the very rule of law he claims to uphold.
Instead, Yoon repeated his outlandish claim that “South Korea is in danger due to internal and external forces threatening its sovereignty and integrity.” He vowed to “fight to the end with all of you to defend this nation.” Rather than addressing the national crisis he created, he incited his supporters with inflammatory rhetoric. Particularly disturbing was his admission that he has been watching the demonstrations via livestream on politically charged YouTube channels.
Yesterday, Yoon’s legal team escalated the drama, asserting that if police units attempt to enforce the warrant, “he could be arrested by anyone, including members of the Presidential Security Service or ordinary citizens.” This outrageous defiance from a president accused of leading an insurrection through martial law leaves one speechless. Contrary to his claim that the martial law was merely a “warning,” prosecutors have secured testimony that Yoon personally instructed military commanders to break into the National Assembly using axes and firearms to arrest lawmakers.
Before the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion, Yoon repeatedly promised that he would not evade “legal or political accountability.” Yet, since the impeachment was approved on Dec. 14, his behavior has been anything but cooperative. He has refused three summonses from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and is now outright ignoring the warrant.
Yoon’s justification for avoiding the investigation is his claim that the CIO lacks jurisdiction over insurrection charges. However, this argument has been rendered moot by the court’s decision to grant the warrant requested by the CIO. Even so, Yoon’s team continues to find excuses, now questioning the role of police units in enforcing the warrant. It has reached a point where even People Power Party lawmaker Kim Sang-wook, himself a lawyer, publicly urged Yoon to “stop acting like a slippery eel” in a CBS interview. How humiliating it must be for a former prosecutor general to be chastised in such terms by a freshman member of his own party. Yet, Yoon continues to incite his supporters, urging them to “stay strong” and claiming he will “surely prevail.”
It is time for President Yoon to regain his composure and comply with the judicial process. A man who once prided himself on his prosecutorial career must stop trampling on the very rule of law he claims to uphold.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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