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From model prosecutor to beleaguered president

Published: 05 Mar. 2025, 00:02

Park Jin-seok

The author is in the investigative reporting bureau at the JoongAng Ilbo.

In the spring of 1994, Kwon Byeong-jik and Park Jeong-ja welcomed a new tenant into their home. He was to occupy the small front room. They had heard in advance that he was a prosecutor. The very title carried an air of authority that made them feel small. But the new boarder bowed deeply to them.

"Good day, sir. My name is Yoon Suk Yeol. I look forward to your kindness.”

He was a 34-year-old rookie prosecutor, newly assigned to the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office. Throughout his stay, he was courteous and respectful. During the two years they housed and fed him, the elderly couple became his devoted fans.

President Yoon Seok Yeol, third from left front row, during a visit he made as Prosecutor General to a new prosecutors' training center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong, in Nov.3, 2020. [YONHAP]

“He never left for work without saying, ‘I’ll be back later.’ He was a man who possessed nearly all the virtues one could ask for in a person — nothing more, nothing less. He had a good temperament, a fine character and impeccable manners. It was rare to see a young person so well-rounded. One evening, he called us after work and asked us to come out. He then took us to a high-end restaurant with a revolving table and treated us to a fine meal. We had never set foot in such a place before.”

Then, the day came for him to move out. “My husband and I were so sad, watching them load up his moving truck. Then, prosecutor Yoon suddenly said, ‘Sir, please have a seat for a moment.’ The next thing we knew, he got down on his knees and performed a full bow. ‘Thank you so much for everything,’ he said. ‘I am truly grateful.’ Where else would you find a boarder like that? We were deeply moved.”

This account is a reconstructed version of an article published in Maeil Newspaper on Feb. 28, 2022. Hard to believe? That the now-infamous symbol of inaccessibility and impoliteness, President Yoon, was once such a well-mannered young man? But in the process of researching the JoongAng Ilbo series, “Yoon Suk Yeol vs. Han Dong-hoon,” by meeting with former colleagues and reviewing old records, we found numerous testimonies and records affirming his courteous nature.

Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in central Seoul on Feb. 4. [JOINT PRESS RELEASE]

Take one anecdote from a prosecutor who worked with Yoon during his time at the Gangneung branch of the prosecutors’ office.

“During a dinner gathering, a senior official, intoxicated, treated a restaurant staff member poorly. I saw Yoon discreetly call the employee outside. He handed the worker 20,000 won and said, ‘I’m sorry. But please take good care of him — he is an important man.’ He was someone with that kind of compassion.”

He also treated younger senior prosecutors with deference, according to a former colleague. “Since he was older, I casually said over drinks, ‘I’ll just call you hyung [older brother] from now on.’ But he quickly waved that off, saying, ‘Absolutely not! You are my senior, and I would never address you that way.’”

Byun Yang-ho, former director of financial policy at the Ministry of Finance and a notable victim of judicial overreach, recounts an encounter with Yoon in his book, “Byun Yang-ho Syndrome.” At the time, Byun faced devastation over his arrest warrant being issued, and a prosecutor sought to console him.

“The court likely had no choice but to approve the warrant, given that two other suspects in the same case had already been detained. You’ll need to take a long-term view. Work through this with good lawyers. and you’ll get through it.”

Byun later confirmed in an interview with JoongAng Ilbo three years ago that this prosecutor was none other than Yoon Suk Yeol.

And what about his investigative prowess? From his first post at the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office, he led in direct indictments — cases where prosecutors pursued additional investigations and secured arrests even after police had opted not to detain suspects. At the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office’s special investigations unit, his interrogation reports were so meticulously crafted that fellow prosecutors wanted to use them as study materials. His sense of justice? Just recall his resolve in the National Intelligence Service election interference case or his defiant stand against sitting power as prosecutor general.

So, what is my point in bringing this up now? Admittedly, it’s a little awkward, but I’ll borrow a passage from my Fountain column published on March 10, 2021.

Even now, I wish he would declare that he will not enter politics. As the prosecutor general who came closest to embodying “perfect political independence,” his transition into politics could only erode that legacy. Unlike prosecutor Yoon, I have yet to find a compelling reason to support politician Yoon, which makes this all the more regrettable.

If Yoon had remained a warm-hearted, well-mannered, fearless prosecutor who pursued justice without bowing to power, his name would have been etched into history with honor. But he entered politics. And for the past four years, the words most commonly associated with him have been inaccessibility, favoritism, crude remarks, arrogance, authoritarianism and excessive drinking. Now, with his inexplicable push for emergency martial law, he has squandered even the last glimmer of hope for redemption.

“Now, all our country needs is a leader who governs well. We hope that Prosecutor Yoon, who always upheld the law and principles, will become a president who makes history for the right reasons.”

President Yoon Suk Yeol, during his presidential campaign at the PPP headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 5, 2022. [KIM KYUNG-ROK]

That was the wish the elderly couple who had once boarded Yoon expressed during his presidential campaign. It was likely the hope of all who voted for him. Yet, President Yoon now stands on the verge of making history in a way entirely opposite to what the people had envisioned. The result of wearing a suit that does not fit has been nothing short of disastrous.

Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.