"Yesterday, there were sausages"
'Yoon Meets Jo Guk' Meme Goes Viral
The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HCIC) has arrested President Yoon Seok-yeol, sparking a viral meme online about his encounter with former Jo Guk, former leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party.
On the 15th, a photo showing former leader Jo and President Yoon sitting side by side was posted on X (formerly Twitter). The photo is known to have been taken after the July 2019 Blue House Prosecutor General appointment ceremony. The poster added the caption, "Why aren't you eating, Seok-yeol? Not feeling hungry? Yesterday, there were sausages." In fact, the breakfast menu at Seoul Detention Center, where former leader Jo is incarcerated, included bread, ketchup, sausages, salad, and processed milk that morning.
A meme related to former Joguk Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk appeared after the arrest of President Yoon Seok-yeol. X
Netizens who saw this reacted with comments such as "The detention center food has been pretty good lately," "Former leader Jo must have been waiting all along," "They should show him the room too," and "This is hilarious."
On the same day, the HCIC and police began executing the arrest warrant for President Yoon around 4:20 a.m. The police deployed 1,200 personnel from the National Investigation Headquarters (NIH) special investigation team and the metropolitan investigation units of Seoul, Southern Gyeonggi, Northern Gyeonggi, and Incheon, while the HCIC dispatched 40 prosecutors and investigators. They presented the arrest and search warrants to President Yoon’s legal team, but lawyer Yoon Gap-geun argued, "There are no exceptions under Articles 110 and 111 of the Criminal Procedure Act in the warrant. This is an illegal execution and amounts to rebellion," resisting the process. In response, the police repeatedly broadcast warnings stating, "If you obstruct the execution of the warrant, you may be arrested on the spot for obstructing official duties."
Ultimately, the HCIC and police attempted forced entry at the Blue House residence entrance. About 30 lawmakers from the People Power Party and President Yoon’s legal team formed a human chain to block the arrest, holding out for over an hour. Although the security office leadership initially announced a tough response, a rift emerged among frontline security staff due to concerns about potential charges for obstructing special official duties. Eventually, the HCIC and police opened the third barricade gate and allowed the warrant execution team’s vehicle to enter, securing President Yoon’s custody. Shortly after the arrest, around 10:35 a.m., President Yoon boarded a security vehicle, left the Hannam-dong residence in Seoul, and was transported to the HCIC office at the Government Complex Gwacheon in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. This marked the first time in constitutional history that a sitting president was arrested by an investigative agency on criminal charges.
Later, Hwang Hyun-seon, Secretary General of the Innovation Party, posted on their social media, revealing a letter and memo from former leader Jo, who requested their release upon President Yoon’s arrest. In the letter, former leader Jo stated, "The rebel ringleader Yoon Seok-yeol has been arrested. The righteous anger of the people and their steadfast solidarity have triumphed," adding, "The Innovation Party has fulfilled the promise that 'three years is too long.'" Furthermore, he emphasized, "Now we must move forward to establish a democratic government and achieve major social reforms," and "All rebels who threatened the people must be severely punished. The people will always prevail."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
