"Whether Impeachment or Investigation, We Will Stand Firm"
Ruling Party Embarrassed by Emergency Statement... Busy Managing Confusion
President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a national address at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 12th. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 12th, President Yoon Suk-yeol firmly declared through an emergency national address that he has no intention of resigning voluntarily, stating, "Whether through impeachment or investigation, I will face it with confidence," sparking intense political repercussions. After the release of President Yoon's statement, Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, announced a shift to support impeachment, saying, "It has become even clearer that the president can no longer perform his duties." Meanwhile, the election of Kwon Seon-dong, a 'pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) core' member, as the party's floor leader has intensified confusion within the ruling party.
President Yoon's emergency national address was conducted without prior notice to the press corps. After issuing a statement at the presidential office on the 7th and remaining secluded at the Hannam-dong residence, President Yoon departed the residence at around 8:16 a.m. accompanied by security vehicles and arrived at the Yongsan Presidential Office building. He left the building and returned to the residence at approximately 8:57 a.m., 36 minutes later.
Yoon Commutes to Yongsan Presidential Office to Pre-record Address
Breaking his silence, President Yoon went to the Yongsan Presidential Office building for the first time in five days to pre-record the upcoming national address. Wearing a red tie and a solemn expression, President Yoon stood before the camera and read the address titled "A Message to the People" with determination.
In the approximately 29-minute, 7,000-character-long address, reportedly written by himself, President Yoon emphasized that martial law is a "presidential prerogative" and devoted most of the time explaining why the declaration of martial law was unavoidable. He stated, "In the disastrous emergency situation paralyzing state affairs, the emergency martial law measure exercised under the president's legal authority to protect the country and normalize governance is a highly political judgment by the president and can only be controlled by the National Assembly's demand for its repeal."
He repeatedly stressed that the declaration of martial law was inevitable due to the "massive opposition party," judging the paralysis of state affairs caused by the opposition party's parliamentary dictatorship and violence as a "state of collapse of administrative and judicial functions due to social disorder," and thus, as president, he exercised his governing authority to impose martial law. Analysts interpret President Yoon's continuous assertion of the legitimacy of martial law as preparation for the imminent impeachment trial and investigation.
Additional specific reasons for the declaration of martial law, not mentioned in previous statements, were also included. President Yoon began by saying, "There have been many more serious matters that I could not reveal until now before making the grave decision of martial law," and disclosed, "In the latter half of last year, North Korea launched hacking attacks on constitutional institutions including the National Election Commission and government agencies. The National Intelligence Service discovered this and attempted to inspect information leaks and the safety of computer systems, but the National Election Commission, citing its status as a constitutional institution, firmly refused."
Yoon Targets National Election Commission: "Computer Systems Are Shoddy, Security Lax"
He continued, "(The National Election Commission) allowed the National Intelligence Service staff to attempt hacking as hackers, revealing that data manipulation was easily possible and that firewalls were virtually nonexistent," and criticized, "Passwords were extremely simple, like '12345'." President Yoon said, "As president at the time, I was shocked upon receiving the report from the National Intelligence Service," and questioned, "If the computer system managing elections, the core of democracy, is so faulty, how can the public trust election results?" He also explained that, "Ahead of the general election in April, I requested improvements on problematic areas, but I do not know if they were properly addressed," and for this reason, during the current martial law, he instructed former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to inspect the National Election Commission's computer systems.
Some speculated that the main reason President Yoon declared martial law was to investigate allegations of election fraud, and by directly citing the National Election Commission system's vulnerabilities as a reason for martial law in this address, President Yoon effectively acknowledged that these public suspicions were not mere conjecture.
Handonghun, the leader of the People Power Party, is holding an emergency press conference at the National Assembly on the 12th regarding the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
President Yoon also intensified his criticism of the opposition party. He said, "The opposition party is now wildly dancing a frenzied sword dance, claiming that the declaration of martial law constitutes treason," and bluntly criticized, "The opposition party has paralyzed state affairs by recklessly pushing for impeachment." Regarding the opposition's impeachment efforts, he said, "It is a bulletproof impeachment to cover up their own misconduct and completely destroys public office discipline and legal order," and did not hesitate to use strong language, stating, "The National Assembly dominated by the massive opposition party has become a monster that destroys the constitutional order of liberal democracy rather than its foundation."
At the end of the address, President Yoon continued his defense. He briefly apologized, saying, "I once again apologize to the people who were shocked and anxious due to this martial law," and reiterated the inevitability of martial law. He concluded the address by saying, "I will fight alongside the people until the very last moment. Please trust my passionate loyalty." President Yoon's address, which repeatedly emphasized the justification for martial law, effectively denied any possibility of voluntary resignation and is interpreted as a declaration to actively respond legally to the upcoming impeachment trial and investigation.
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