Yoon In-chon Apologizes and Criticizes December 3 Emergency Martial Law as "Wrong Act"

"At first, I thought it was fake news"
"Did not receive contact about the Cabinet meeting for the declaration"
"70% of next year's budget to be executed in the first half"

"Martial law in Korea is a wrong thing."

Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, apologized for the December 3 martial law incident. At the regular briefing of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held on the 18th at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, he stated, "Since all citizens have a rejection toward the very word 'martial law,' at first I thought it was fake news," and added, "I sincerely apologize to the people as a member of the State Council for the confusing and difficult situation."

He also expressed his apology when he announced 'A Message to the People' on the 10th as a government spokesperson. However, he was criticized for seemingly supporting martial law by expressing concerns over the continued impeachment motion in the National Assembly.

Minister Yoo explained, "There was an opinion that it would be better for the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to act as the government spokesperson according to the Government Organization Act, so I took on the announcement." He emphasized, "I only appealed to the opposition party, which is the majority, to help the government operate because the situation is difficult, and nothing more than that. I did not support martial law."

Article 36 of the Government Organization Act stipulates that the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism oversees affairs related to government publicity and announcements. Minister Yoo also gave briefings on the mad cow disease candlelight protests in June 2008 as a government spokesperson under this regulation during the Lee Myung-bak administration.

Minister Yoo did not attend the State Council meeting for the proclamation of martial law. He was not notified of attendance. He only attended the State Council meeting for lifting martial law after the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding its repeal.

He said, "I was not contacted at all in advance regarding martial law. I checked my mobile phone again just in case, but there was no record of contact," and added, "After the proclamation of martial law, I waited at home and received a call at 3 a.m. on the 4th to attend the State Council meeting for lifting martial law, so I attended."

Minister Yoo expressed his determination to promptly execute next year’s budget to minimize the impact of martial law on the culture, sports, and tourism sectors. "We will alleviate anxiety on the ground and carefully assess the current situation to study ways to reduce the effects of martial law," he said.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s budget for next year is 7.0672 trillion won. Approximately 70%, or 4.947 trillion won, will be executed in the first half of the year. The plan is to quickly ease public anxiety and fill policy gaps. The area of greatest concern is inbound tourism. There is growing worry that foreign visits may shrink.

Minister Yoo said, "It is not yet a level to worry about," but also noted, "Demand may decrease in the first half of next year." He added, "Since there are many inquiries from those planning to visit Korea, there is a possibility of impact in the first half of next year compared to this year," and said, "We will prepare appropriate measures."

Kim Jeong-hoon, Director of Tourism Policy, also stated, "Although there is an analysis that foreign tourism demand decreased by 2-3% compared to the same period last year earlier this month, there were even days when it increased compared to before martial law," and added, "We are considering ways for foreign tourists to safely enter Korea in the first quarter of next year."