[Yongsan Report] The Presidential Office Before Impeachment... Internal "Sighs", External "Division"

High Possibility of Impeachment Approval in Vote on the 14th
'What Was Inevitable Has Come'... Presidential Office Also Watching Closely
Wreaths Poured Outside Yongsan... Concerns Over Division

On the 12th, when President Yoon Seok-yeol announced a national address, the area in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, was quiet with cars and people passing by, and support wreaths lined up along the entrance road. Photo by Heo Young-han

With the vote on the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol just one day away, the Yongsan Presidential Office is in a precarious situation. Unlike the first vote last week, the likelihood of approval this time has significantly increased, leading to growing sighs and the sentiment among staff that "what was bound to happen has come." Outside the Presidential Office, an outpouring of wreaths sent by President Yoon’s supporters has made the onset of a full-fledged impeachment black hole political crisis palpable.

According to the Presidential Office and political circles on the 13th, the impeachment motion against President Yoon is highly likely to be approved in the National Assembly vote scheduled for the afternoon of the 14th. Even among the ruling party, the People Power Party, support for impeachment is rising, and it is predicted that the necessary eight dissenting votes to pass the motion will be secured. Given that President Yoon declared in a public address?resembling a constitutional court argument?that he would "fight until the end," the Yongsan office recognizes that the impeachment phase is inevitable.

Most aides in the Presidential Office have remained silent since the emergency martial law incident, but they appear deeply regretful that the situation is heading toward impeachment. One secretary said in a phone interview, "Staff are doing what they can while watching the situation," adding, "The atmosphere is not good." The mood in Yongsan further froze after the police conducted the first search and seizure at the Presidential Office on the 11th. Another secretary said, "There is nothing to say when you are under investigation."

Depending on the progress of the investigation, some aides in the Presidential Office may become subjects of the probe. During former President Park Geun-hye’s state affairs manipulation scandal, Blue House aides were sequentially implicated and detained. Although the emergency martial law was implemented without most Yongsan aides’ knowledge, making the situation different, allegations have arisen that In Seong-hwan, the second deputy director of the National Security Office, visited the Joint Chiefs of Staff Combat Control Room with President Yoon in the early hours of the 4th, making an investigation into some personnel inevitable.

If President Yoon is suspended from office, the Presidential Office’s work will effectively come to a halt. Staff who worked from early morning until late at night preparing various policies will inevitably feel a great sense of deprivation. Some quarters criticize the aides for failing to properly support President Yoon regardless of their involvement. Consequently, many aides and staff, unaware of the emergency martial law incident and impeachment phase, respond with feelings of "emptiness."

The area outside the Presidential Office building is surrounded by wreaths supporting President Yoon. While there were only about 40 wreaths near the west entrance of the Presidential Office on the 11th, the number now appears to have increased to between 1,000 and 2,000. Hundreds of wreaths are placed daily not only across from the Presidential Office at the War Memorial but also extending beyond the Defense Convention Center toward Noksapyeong Station. All bear messages defending President Yoon’s emergency martial law and criticizing the opposition party. A man in his 50s, who was setting up a fallen wreath on site, said, "I came out because I was heartbroken after watching the President’s address the day before," adding, "What will happen to our President?"

On the other hand, there is also significant public criticism of President Yoon for causing the emergency martial law incident. Although the number of wreaths is large, some point out that the support base is exaggerated because some conservative groups placed large bulk orders. A vendor installing the wreaths said, "We received group orders online." It is also known that condolence wreaths criticizing President Yoon are not allowed to be installed due to restrictions imposed by the Presidential Office.

Once the constitutional court hearings begin, clashes centered around Yongsan are likely to become more visible. In fact, in his address the day before, President Yoon used harsh expressions such as "wild sword dance," seemingly aiming to rally his core conservative supporters. In response, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) called for impeachment the previous day, with an estimated 10,000 participants marching to the Presidential Office and residence, clashing with police.