5-term lawmaker throws himself into center of controversy, leading fight for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol amid accusations of inciting extremists

Since President Yoon Suk Yeol's Dec. 3 botched imposition of martial law, five-term lawmaker and ruling People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun has been at the center of controversy.
In a shift from his previous image as a moderate within the ruling party, Rep. Yoon has recently become a far-right advocate and staunch supporter of the impeached and arrested president. He has taken center stage in a series of rallies inside and outside parliament, opposing the main opposition party's efforts to impeach Yoon and physically blocking law enforcement’s attempts to take the suspended leader into custody.
He was spotted bowing to controversial far-right pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon, considered an unorthodox extremist, who was leading a rally in support of President Yoon. Most recently, the 62-year-old was accused by the main opposition party of inciting the violent invasion that took place early Sunday morning at the Seoul Western District Court, which resulted in 83 people injured and 87 arrested. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Monday said it plans to draft and submit a motion to expel Rep. Yoon from the National Assembly for "inciting a riot." Rep. Yoon lambasted the opposition's move in a Facebook post the same day, denying his involvement in inciting the attack and accusing the Democratic Party of engaging in "political violence."
In a recent interview with The Korea Herald, Rep. Yoon said he is “well-aware” of the concerns sparked by his recent activities. He argued that his actions stem from a belief that impeaching President Yoon poses "a serious threat to South Korea’s democracy and constitutional order." The interview was conducted last Friday.
"I’m against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. As a lawmaker, I’m witnessing South Korea’s democracy and constitutional order being severely threatened, firsthand,” he wrote.
The country's democracy has been under threat by a "chain of illegal acts" by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and the judicial branch, he further argued.
"In a time where Korea's rule of law and the constitutional order are being damaged, I have come out to the site to inform the people about the reality of the situation in which the rule of law and constitutional order are being undermined, and to protect the system of free democracy. The current situation is a challenge that transcends conservatism, progressivism and being a political moderate, and I believe it is my duty in this day and age to correct it."
Rep. Yoon called the opposition-led National Assembly’s passage of the motion to impeach Yoon “hastily done” and lacking a “legitimate process.” He mentioned the Watergate scandal and the US impeachment process against former President Richard Nixon, which spanned nearly a year from 1973 to 1974, as an example that the Korean parliament should have followed. Nixon ultimately was not impeached, but voluntarily resigned in exchange for being pardoned by his vice president.
"The impeachment inquiry for President Nixon spanned the course of nearly two years until the embattled president eventually stepped down in 1974," he said.
"President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration was not a matter that could be defined and decided within a month -- it should have been inquired and investigated thoroughly (before the Assembly passed the impeachment motion)," continued the ruling party lawmaker.

He vowed to continue his fight "to protect democracy and the constitutional order," claiming that the nation is under threat from "the dark forces of left-wing judicial power, the corrupt National Election Commission, and pro-North Korean groups." This rhetoric mirrors that used by suspended President Yoon to justify his Dec. 3 martial law declaration.
As a member of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Rep. Yoon departed for the US on Sunday to attend incoming US President Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony. The Assembly recently decided to send the members of the committee as an official delegation.
Prior to his departure, the lawmaker revealed his plan to explain to officials in Washington "about South Korea's political situation" and "quell the international community's concerns over President Yoon's impeachment trial as well the Dec. 3 martial law imposition," in a press conference held Saturday.
Before Yoon's impeachment, he was viewed as a moderate within the ruling party, even criticizing the pro-President Yoon faction within the party last year, saying they should put "the hearts of the people" before "the heart of the president."
Yoon is a five-term conservative lawmaker currently representing the Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol B constituency. Rep. Yoon has a bachelor's degree in economics from Seoul National University. He later earned his master's degree in foreign service from Georgetown and Ph.D. in political science from George Washington University.