South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol was not impeached on Saturday after his People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote and walked out of the National Assembly. But Yun isn't out of the woods yet. The leader of his party, the People's Party, said on Friday that Mr. Yun's presidential powers should be suspended after it was revealed that the president had ordered the arrest of a list of opponents after martial law was declared. The list also included the aforementioned PPP chief.
“My decision to impose martial law was born out of desperation as the leader of this country, but in the process I caused anxiety and discomfort to the people,” Yin said on state television early Saturday. “I deeply regret that,'' he said, apologizing for his controversial actions. I apologize to the Korean people. ”
Yun could face another impeachment vote for what lawmakers consider an unconstitutional power grab. But whether he survives the remaining two-and-a-half years of his term or is fired, Yun will join a list of predecessors who have already suffered serious stains on their reputations.
South Korean leader faces growing calls for impeachment, resignation or martial law
People watch a television screen showing a teleconference by South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, December 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)
No one in South Korea would be shocked if Yoon ended up in solitary confinement one day. As it turns out, the odds are not in his favor. With the exception of Yoon, four of South Korea's past six democratically elected presidents have served prison sentences. Expressed as a percentage, it is more than 66%.
South Korea's democracy seems fairy-tale perfect, but consider this: After World War II, the country had 13 heads of state. The first five were not paragons of democracy. Of these, one was forced to resign and flee the country, two were ousted in a military coup, and one was assassinated by a close friend who was also the director of South Korea's equivalent of the CIA.
Of the eight democratically elected presidents (including Yun), all have been implicated in scandals. Even the late Nobel Peace Prize-winning dissident-turned-president Kim Dae-jung was now revealed to have essentially bribed North Korea to hold an unprecedented inter-Korean summit. It's not viewed very favorably.
File: Jailed former President Roh Tae-woo (right) shakes hands with jailed former President Chun Doo-hwan (not pictured) before South Korea's new president Kim Dae-jung (left) takes the oath of office as president at a ceremony. The inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on February 25, 1998. (Photo by Choo Yun-Kong/AFP via Getty Images)
So far, four South Korean elected heads of state have served time in prison, two have been impeached, one has been convicted and removed from office, and one former president was hounded by his aides in 2009. He committed suicide by jumping off a 150-foot mountain cliff. Relatives, even his wife and son, were investigated for bribery and other corruption charges. Since the nation's founding, two more presidents have been sentenced to death, but were later pardoned.
It's not unreasonable to assume that the above is a script for a Korean TV drama series. South Korea is a democratic, highly educated, highly technologically advanced, conservative, and deeply religious society. So why do almost none of the former presidents enjoy happiness after taking office?
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File: Former President Lee Myung-bak (left) arrives at court to attend a trial in Seoul on September 6, 2018. Prosecutors have asked former President Lee Myung-bak to be sentenced to 20 years in prison for corruption, and this will be the last 20 years of his sentence. Four of the former leaders who are still alive are involved in a criminal investigation. (Eun Young Jae/AFP via Getty Images)
Professor Lee told Fox News Digital: “The South Korean president has a lot of power, but in my opinion, too much power.” “Some people call this an ‘imperial president.’ Of course, what that brings is arrogance.”
Lee Sung-yoon, author of the recent book “The Sister: Kim Yo Jong, the World's Most Dangerous North Korean,” which examines the life and role of the fascinating and fearsome sister of North Korea's supreme leader, also spoke to Fox News. In contrast to digital, Korean culture is a major reason why many of the top people fall from grace. Although Christianity took root in the late 19th century and grew rapidly after the Korean War, South Korea retains a Confucian ethic, with loyalty and obedience high on the list of main virtues.
FILE: Ousted South Korean leader Park Geun-hye (left) arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on May 25, 2017, for trial in the massive corruption scandal that led to her downfall. (Photo by Jung Yeon-Je/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
In North Korea, these values are expressed as a slavish devotion to the ridiculous concept of a dynastic communist state, where people look at the well-fed, baby-faced dictator Kim Jong-un, or Kim Jong-un. They burst into tears and clap enthusiastically. Third, he is followed by an entourage of scribes who write down everything he says, lest the groans of his near-divine wisdom be lost to posterity.
In South Korea, loyalty and obedience to authority (along with many other values, such as hard work, frugality, and a commitment to education, of course) are popular in South Korea, where loyalty and obedience to authority (along with many other values, such as hard work, frugality, and a commitment to education) are valued by companies such as electronics giant Samsung and fast-growing car manufacturer Hyundai. These are just two examples. A globally respected Korean brand. K-Pop and K-Drama are mainstream in Asia and around the world. Their entire industry was built on strict discipline and grueling working hours.
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However, the dark side contains elements of excessive zeal that pervades North Korea. Korean bosses, teachers, elders, and leaders of all kinds are used to being subjugated. The president, who stands at the top of the social hierarchy, lives in a bubble where it is almost taboo to question his judgment. As evidenced by their rap sheets, these leaders have developed a strong tendency to consider themselves infallible, if not above the law. President Yoon, like many before him, realized too late that there was actually a red line. And now he can see the Rubicon River behind him.
