"Apologies to the People" Differences from Former President Park Geun-hye's Statement
Somber Presidential Office "Doing Our Best to Support Acting Prime Minister Han Deok-su"
President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a national address at his Hannam-dong residence on the 14th after his impeachment motion was passed in the National Assembly. Photo by Yonhap News
"We must reclaim the sovereignty of the people that was taken away."
On June 29, 2021, with just about eight months left until the presidential election, former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who declared his political participation by promising to "restore the values of broken liberal democracy, the rule of law, and fairness," appeared like a comet and became president with just one election in 2022. Differentiating himself as a figure untainted by political inertia with the image of a 'tough prosecutor' and the famous saying "I do not serve people," he clinched victory in the presidential election.
The joy of regime change was short-lived. On the 14th, the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol, placing him in the worst situation of suspension from office. This came 11 days after the declaration of 'martial law' on December 3 and 949 days (about 2 years and 7 months) after his inauguration. Having challenged and achieved the presidency with the pledge to "reclaim the sovereignty of the people," ironically, he was no longer able to exercise presidential powers due to the 'martial law declaration' that infringed on the people's fundamental rights and sovereignty.
About an hour after the impeachment motion was passed, President Yoon issued a national address in a 4-minute and 30-second video, stating, "I will never give up" and "I will do my best for the country until the very last moment." This indicated his intention to actively respond to upcoming investigations and the impeachment review.
Previously, after the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion against former President Park Geun-hye in 2016, her statement focused on apologizing to the people, saying, "I sincerely apologize to the people for causing national turmoil due to my lack of virtue and negligence." In contrast, President Yoon's final address had a different tone. He mentioned, "The journey, though tough, was happy, and though difficult, was rewarding, but it has been temporarily halted," and expressed frustration, saying, "I worry that the efforts made so far might be in vain."
He urged the political sphere to "pay attention and effort to improving political culture and systems so that politics can shift from reckless confrontation to deliberation and consideration," repeatedly criticizing the opposition party's recklessness at the time of the martial law declaration. Consistently wearing a red-toned tie since the declaration of martial law, President Yoon dismissed the possibility of 'leaving the party' and appeared to appeal for the consolidation of his support base.
On the afternoon of the 14th, when the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol was passed in the National Assembly, citizens at Seoul Station were watching President Yoon Seok-yeol's national address on TV. Photo by Yonhap News.
The final address before his suspension from office differed in several ways. While his previous four addresses were held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building, the last one was filmed at the Hannam-dong residence. The podium where President Yoon stood lacked the emblem of 'President of the Republic of Korea.' Although he continued the address in a firm tone, scenes were captured of him frequently lowering his head to read the speech without a teleprompter. This address was also made without prior notice to the media. From the 'December 3 martial law' declaration to the final address after the impeachment motion passed, all five addresses were prepared and delivered in a tense atmosphere.
The Presidential Office is carefully preparing follow-up measures amid a somber mood following President Yoon's suspension. Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo met with Presidential Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok that morning to receive a report on support plans for the Acting President. The meeting between Acting President Han and Chief of Staff Jeong lasted about an hour, with Presidential Policy Chief Sung Tae-yoon and National Intelligence Service Director Bang Ki-seon also attending. Chief of Staff Jeong said, "Since the Chief of Staff will now assist the Acting President, we discussed overall cooperation on work matters."
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