Though 10 days have passed since former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from power by the Constitutional Court of Korea's ruling to uphold his impeachment, some of his supporters have continued to take to the streets on behalf of the disgraced ex-leader.
A new slogan that the supporters have recently adopted is “Reset Korea, Yoon Again!” in English. In pro-Yoon protests that took place in front of the presidential residence in Yongsan-gu and Yoon’s apartment in Seocho-gu on Friday, as well as in Gwanghwamun on Saturday, the protesters were heard shouting the two English slogans while claiming Yoon's impeachment was "fraudulent." According to official police estimates, the three rallies saw 2,000 people, 500 people and 10,000 people, respectively.
In front of Seoul Central District Court, where the first hearing in Yoon’s criminal trial on charges of orchestrating an insurrection by declaring martial law Dec. 3 took place on Monday, supporters were also found holding the “Yoon Again” signs.
The “Reset Korea, Yoon Again” slogan first appeared in a letter written by former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun in prison, revealed by Kim’s lawyers at a rally organized by the far-right Liberty Unification Party on April 7. Kim, known to be Yoon’s close confidant, is currently detained at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center for his role in Yoon's botched martial law plot.
“We had to witness the heartbreaking collapse of judicial justice in South Korea due to political manipulation and fraudulent impeachment," wrote Kim. "The outrage and disappointment (I felt) were so overwhelming that I couldn’t sleep. But this is not the end, it’s a new beginning. We have no more ground to retreat to. We will prevail.”
Kim then concluded the letter with the English words, “Yoon Again,” which pro-Yoon protesters have since adopted.
In front of Seoul Central District Court on Monday morning, 27-year-old pro-Yoon protester Lee Sung-hyun, holding a “Yoon Again” sign, told The Korea Herald that his continued motivation to speak in favor of the disgraced former president comes from his “disappointment in Korean society.”
“Public opinion has been shaped to be so unfair toward our one and only President Yoon Suk Yeol. Honestly, I’m so disappointed at how Korean society can be so easily swayed by public opinion and what’s being shown in the media,” said Lee. “Sure, declaring martial law is bad, but we also have to consider what made (Yoon) declare martial law in the first place," according to him.
Adding that he took a day off from work to partake in a rally in front of the court on Monday, he stated that he hopes for Yoon’s “swift return to politics to resolve the current political unrest in Korea.”
Other than Lee, other pro-Yoon protesters claim that Yoon is eligible to run again for president, despite Korea’s single-term presidency provision in the Constitution. According to Article 67 of the Constitution, Korea's presidents cannot run for reelection after serving their term under this rule to prevent the concentration of power in one individual and to avoid the risk of dictatorship, reflecting the country’s history of overcoming authoritarian rule.
Since Yoon technically did not serve a full term as president due to his impeachment, his supporters have claimed on social media platforms such as X that the single-term presidency rule doesn’t apply to Yoon’s case. On which grounds such statements are being made, however, are not clearly identified.
According to the Constitutional Court Act, a president who is removed from office following an impeachment ruling is prohibited from holding any public office position for a period of five years after the ruling is made. Based on this law, some protesters argue that Yoon can also return to the presidency after the five-year period.
However, law professor Hwang Do-ssu of Konkuk University, who specializes in constitutional law, expressed doubts to The Korea Herald, saying that it is “an invalid argument.”
“Since he has already been elected president once, the general interpretation there is that it will be considered to be a second term to serve consecutive terms or to return after a break, regardless of whether (Yoon) completed his term or not,” Hwang stated.
Despite such limitations, however, the “Yoon Again” movement continues to gain momentum. In addition to the pro-Yoon protesters reciting the newfound slogan, dozens of flower wreaths and banners that read “Yoon Again, Korea Again” as well as messages of encouragement such as “Stay strong, Mr. President” can be found near Yoon’s private residence in Seocho-gu.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
