Over 1.2 Million Posts Since December 14 Last Year
Public Opinion Battle Over Yoon Suk-yeol's Impeachment: "The People Are Above the Constitutional Court"
Concerns Over Attacks on the Judiciary: "Objectivity Undermined"
Conservative supporters of President Yoon Suk-yeol are flocking to the Constitutional Court's website to voice their opposition to impeachment. The number of posts, which used to be 1 to 2 per day on average, has surged to over 20,000. Many of these posts focus less on the logic of the trial process and more on pressuring and attacking the constitutional justices by exploiting their personal inclinations, raising concerns about judicial distrust.
President Yoon Suk-yeol is attending the 4th impeachment trial hearing held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on January 23, 2025. 2025.1.23 Photo by Joint Press Corps Yonhap News Agency
According to the legal community on the 1st, since the impeachment motion against President Yoon was passed on December 14 last year until the day before, more than 1.2 million posts have been uploaded to the Constitutional Court's free bulletin board. This means about 24,500 posts are posted daily on the Constitutional Court's free bulletin board. Before the December 3 emergency martial law incident, only 2 to 3 posts at most were uploaded daily to the Constitutional Court's free bulletin board. On December 2 and 3 last year, just before the martial law, only one post was uploaded each day.
The surge in posts is because conservatives dissatisfied with the impeachment process of President Yoon are using the Constitutional Court's website as a communication channel. Through their posts, they focus on explaining the legitimacy of President Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law. Their argument is that the opposition party obstructed President Yoon's governance by proposing impeachment motions 29 times and that the emergency martial law declaration was inevitable due to allegations of election fraud. One poster claimed, "President Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law is a courageous decision to eradicate anti-state forces," and urged, "The Constitutional Court should uphold the president's will, investigate election fraud, and abolish early voting."
On the 31st of last month, a post stating that President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration of martial law was justified was uploaded to the Constitutional Court's website free board. Constitutional Court website
Posts criticizing the inclinations of the justices are also increasing. These posts seem to absorb allegations from some political circles about the friendship between constitutional justice Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.
On the 30th of last month, Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, claimed on his social media, "Justice Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Jae-myung are close friends, and Justice Lee Mi-sun's brother, lawyer Lee Sang-hee, is a director of the Justice Memory Foundation and a former vice-chairman of the Minbyun 'Special Committee for Yoon Suk-yeol's Resignation.'" He also stated, "Justice Jeong Gye-seon’s spouse, lawyer Hwang Pil-gyu, works at the same law firm as lawyer Kim Yi-su, who is the National Assembly's representative for President Yoon's impeachment motion." A poster on the Constitutional Court's free bulletin board also demanded, "Can a fair trial be conducted under such relationships?" and called for "Justices Moon Hyung-bae, Lee Mi-sun, and Jeong Gye-seon to resign voluntarily."
There were also calls to adhere to Article 40, Paragraph 1 of the Constitutional Court Act. This provision stipulates that in the case of impeachment trials, the laws related to criminal procedure apply mutatis mutandis. When the Constitutional Court collectively set the trial dates, President Yoon's side filed an objection, arguing that there are no special provisions in the Constitutional Court Act regarding trial procedures and that the Criminal Procedure Act should be followed. Conservatives appear to be expressing dissatisfaction on the Constitutional Court's free bulletin board based on President Yoon's side's opinion. However, the Constitutional Court did not accept President Yoon's objection.
History lecturer Jeon Han-gil expressed opposition to the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol and stated his support for him through a YouTube video on the 30th of last month. YouTube channel: Kkotboda Jeon Han-gil
Supporters of President Yoon believe that the more public opinion against impeachment grows, the higher the possibility that the impeachment motion will be dismissed. Historian Jeon Han-gil said in a YouTube video on the 30th of last month, "If the number of participants at the rally at Busan Station on the 1st reaches one million and President Yoon's approval rating exceeds 60%, the constitutional justices will never be able to impeach him," adding, "We must show that the people are above the Constitutional Court." This reflects the same sentiment.
However, there is criticism that conservatives are attacking the judicial system, including the Constitutional Court, for political influence. Professor Han Sang-hee of Konkuk University Law School said, "They are trying to undermine the objectivity and fairness of the Constitutional Court to reject the impeachment trial against President Yoon," adding, "The People Power Party and other conservative camps are making such claims to rally supporters, but it only harms President Yoon's impeachment trial."
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