[Yoon Seok-yeol Elected] Former Special Investigation Unit Prosecutor... Once Dreamed of Joining the Bank of Korea Influenced by His Father

The Path of the '0-Term' Former Lawmaker Elected as President
"Loyal to No One but People" Candid Remark Circulates
"Warm-Hearted Despite Stature" Praised by Those Around

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Il-gwon] Yoon Seok-yeol, elected as the 20th President, has become an unprecedented figure in our political history simply by being a political newcomer with 'zero terms' as a member of the National Assembly. Since declaring his political participation in June last year, he reached the presidential election finish line faster than any previous president. In particular, the ruling People Power Party set an unprecedented record by producing both a 'zero-term' party leader and a 'zero-term' president.

◆ Seasoned Special Investigation Prosecutor = Born in Seoul in 1960, candidate Yoon is the eldest son among one son and one daughter of Yoon Ki-jung, an honorary professor at Yonsei University, and Choi Jeong-ja, a former professor at Ewha Womans University, and had a relatively affluent childhood.

Graduating from Seoul Chungam High School and Seoul National University Law School, candidate Yoon has lived a turbulent life as a seasoned ‘special investigation prosecutor.’ After passing the bar exam at the age of 31 in 1991 on his ninth attempt, he began his career as a prosecutor. Throughout his prosecutorial career, he worked exclusively as a ‘special investigation prosecutor,’ conducting investigations that led to the arrest of high-ranking officials such as former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung and Changshin Textile CEO Kang Geum-won during the Roh Moo-hyun administration.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In 2002, he left the prosecutor’s office and worked as a lawyer at a major law firm, but returned to the prosecution after just one year, saying, "I miss the smell of jajangmyeon at the prosecution office," and began to rise rapidly.

During the Park Geun-hye administration in 2013, his resolute statement at a National Assembly audit hearing, "I do not serve people," made a lasting impression.

Later, he was effectively demoted to the Daegu High Prosecutors' Office for ‘failure to report to superiors.’ However, he cemented his image as a ‘tough prosecutor’ and regained attention three years later in 2016 by joining the special investigation team for the ‘Park Geun-hye-Choi Soon-sil Gate.’ With the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in government, he was appointed head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and became known for arrest investigations of former President Lee Myung-bak and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong.

However, candidate Yoon came into opposition with the current ruling party while leading the investigation of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. During his time as a special investigation prosecutor, he conducted investigations targeting the core of the Moon administration, including allegations of the Blue House’s cover-up of the Yoo Jae-soo inspection and the Ulsan mayoral election manipulation. Despite opposition from the Liberty Korea Party and the Bareun Party, President Moon Jae-in appointed Yoon as Prosecutor General in 2019.

Having clashed with the current administration over the Cho Kuk issue, he stepped down from the Prosecutor General position amid conflicts with former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae. In March, he resigned and left open the possibility of entering politics, stating, "I will do my best to protect liberal democracy and the people."

In June of the same year, he effectively declared his presidential bid. Emphasizing ‘fairness and common sense’ as his identity, candidate Yoon subsequently joined the People Power Party. His political entry left a strong impression as a counterpoint to the current administration’s hypocrisy on fairness and justice.

Throughout the primary season, he maintained the top spot in opposition candidate support ratings and attracted national attention, but was also subject to controversy due to repeated gaffes and internal campaign disputes.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Since being selected as the People Power Party’s presidential candidate in November last year, he faced many ups and downs. He was embroiled in the so-called 'Yoon Core Group (Yoon Seok-yeol’s key associates)' controversy, followed by clashes between party leader Lee Jun-seok and then-spokesperson Cho Soo-jin within the campaign headquarters, and even the resignation of Kim Jong-in, the overall campaign chairman, putting Yoon’s leadership to the test. In early January, the gap in support ratings between him and his strong competitor, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, widened beyond the margin of error.

After downsizing the campaign headquarters and regrouping, he launched a full-scale presidential race. Especially by posting the five-character pledge ‘abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’ on social media, he gained support from men in their 20s, which became a turning point in the campaign atmosphere.

In a razor-thin race with ongoing tight support ratings, he succeeded in candidate unification. He rejected the primary election method proposed by Ahn Cheol-soo, the People’s Party candidate, and instead achieved unification through direct negotiation.

◆ Interest in Liberal Economics... Once Dreamed of Joining the Bank of Korea = President-elect Yoon’s honorary professor father graduated from Gongju Agricultural High School, Yonsei University’s Department of Economics, and Japan’s Hitotsubashi University Graduate School, and served as a professor in the Department of Applied Statistics at Yonsei University until 1997. During his professorship, he also served as president of the Korean Statistical Society and the Korean Economic Association.

Although President-elect Yoon has spent his life as a legal professional, since entering politics he has consistently emphasized liberal economics. It is well known that the book ‘Free to Choose’ by Milton Friedman, a leading figure of the American new liberal economic school, was a gift from his father to celebrate his admission to Seoul National University Law School. After repeated failures in the judicial exam, he even considered joining the Bank of Korea. His interest in economics is said to be influenced by his father.

Those who know him well describe him as a warm-hearted person despite his large stature. Heo Chang-eon, former head of the Financial Security Institute and a close friend from Seoul National University Law School, recalled, "He was big and outgoing, but unlike his appearance, he was warm enough to help friends in need."

Candidate Yoon married Kim Geon-hee, who is 12 years his junior, at the age of 52. He does not shy away from being called a ‘devoted husband.’ They have no children but raise four dogs and three cats.

He is known to have a strong tolerance for alcohol, reportedly drinking 30,000cc of beer in one sitting, and enjoys cooking, having demonstrated his skill by making egg rolls without sticking to a stainless steel pan on a TV variety show.