The people deserve a truthful account of Dec. 3
Published: 17 Jan. 2025, 00:00
Since his arrest on Wednesday, on charges of leading an insurrection, President Yoon Suk Yeol has continued to exercise his right to remain silent, refusing to cooperate with investigators. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) had planned another round of questioning Thursday afternoon, but President Yoon’s legal team refused, asserting that "there is nothing more to investigate." CIO prosecutors conducted over 10 hours of questioning, armed with 200 pages of preprepared questions, yet Yoon persistently invoked his right to remain silent. After briefly making his own statements, such as "declaring martial law is a presidential prerogative," Yoon reportedly refused to answer even basic identity-related questions such as his name and address. It is already deeply distressing that a sitting president was arrested for the first time in Korea’s constitutional history. The fact that he is now using his silence as a shield instead of cooperating with the investigation only exacerbates public disappointment.
While the right to remain silent and request judicial review of detention are constitutional rights afforded to any criminal suspect, there is a stark difference between a private citizen exercising their legal rights and the nation’s chief executive bearing responsibility before the people. The scope of Yoon's involvement in the attempted deployment of military forces to suppress the National Assembly must be fully elucidated. According to the indictment of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Yoon allegedly instructed Lee Jin-woo, former commander of the Capital Defense Command, to "break down the doors [of the National Assembly chamber] with guns if necessary and drag the lawmakers out." He is also said to have told Kwak Jong-geun, former commander of the Special Warfare Command, to "break down the door with axes and drag them all out." These directives contradict Yoon's claims that the martial law declaration was purely a symbolic warning. Who, then, is lying?
President Yoon’s silence before the CIO investigators contrasts with the rhetoric he unleashed to his supporters. In both a video message and a handwritten letter released on the day of his arrest, Yoon made extensive remarks. In the 2-minute, 48-second video, he thanked supporters for their loyalty and encouragement but offered no apology for the series of events that followed the declaration of martial law. Is he implying that only those who support him are the true citizens of this nation? In a national address last December, he had at least expressed that he was "sorry" for the situation, yet now there was no such acknowledgment. For a president entrusted with defending the Constitution, this is both an undignified and discourteous stance toward the public.
It is imperative that President Yoon abandons populist rhetoric designed to inflame his supporters and instead provides a full and truthful account of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis. If he truly believes his actions were justified, he should state his case openly to investigators. The Korean people do not want excuses; they want sincere apologies and genuine reflection. The President must remember that the people who entrusted him with their votes in the last presidential election deserve this, at the very least.
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
While the right to remain silent and request judicial review of detention are constitutional rights afforded to any criminal suspect, there is a stark difference between a private citizen exercising their legal rights and the nation’s chief executive bearing responsibility before the people. The scope of Yoon's involvement in the attempted deployment of military forces to suppress the National Assembly must be fully elucidated. According to the indictment of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Yoon allegedly instructed Lee Jin-woo, former commander of the Capital Defense Command, to "break down the doors [of the National Assembly chamber] with guns if necessary and drag the lawmakers out." He is also said to have told Kwak Jong-geun, former commander of the Special Warfare Command, to "break down the door with axes and drag them all out." These directives contradict Yoon's claims that the martial law declaration was purely a symbolic warning. Who, then, is lying?
President Yoon’s silence before the CIO investigators contrasts with the rhetoric he unleashed to his supporters. In both a video message and a handwritten letter released on the day of his arrest, Yoon made extensive remarks. In the 2-minute, 48-second video, he thanked supporters for their loyalty and encouragement but offered no apology for the series of events that followed the declaration of martial law. Is he implying that only those who support him are the true citizens of this nation? In a national address last December, he had at least expressed that he was "sorry" for the situation, yet now there was no such acknowledgment. For a president entrusted with defending the Constitution, this is both an undignified and discourteous stance toward the public.
It is imperative that President Yoon abandons populist rhetoric designed to inflame his supporters and instead provides a full and truthful account of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis. If he truly believes his actions were justified, he should state his case openly to investigators. The Korean people do not want excuses; they want sincere apologies and genuine reflection. The President must remember that the people who entrusted him with their votes in the last presidential election deserve this, at the very least.
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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