[Impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol] Heungkuk Kim Says "No Need for Constitutional Court"... Clashes with Netizens

Phone Interview on the 4th:
"They Have Completely Divided Korea"

Singer Heungkuk Kim, who has supported former President Yoon Suk-yeol, stated that he cannot accept the Constitutional Court's decision to remove Yoon from office, calling it a "biased ruling." He also engaged in heated exchanges with netizens who flocked to his YouTube channel.

According to Ilgan Sports on April 4, Kim said in a phone interview with the media that day, "From the morning, I was at the Constitutional Court with the freedom-conservative Marines, watching the situation unfold. Something unthinkable has happened. I was certain we would win. I thought it would be dismissed or rejected."

Producer Kim Heungkuk is answering reporters' questions at the production presentation of the documentary 'And When the White Magnolia Blooms' held on March 14 last year at The Plaza Seoul Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

He continued, "But when the unanimous 8-0 verdict was announced, everyone was in shock. I never expected such a complete defeat," adding, "Now we’re in serious trouble. Where is Korea headed, and how are we supposed to live from here?"

Regarding the Constitutional Court justices, Kim protested, "I don't know what they were thinking. Even the three justices from our (conservative) side-did they really have to do this? An 8-0 verdict is just unbelievable. It's completely one-sided. This should never have happened. It’s not 5-3 or even 4-4," he lamented.

He further criticized, "They have completely ignored the people," and added, "They have completely divided Korea. There is no need for a Constitutional Court like this."

After former President Yoon was removed from office, netizens flooded Kim's YouTube channel with mocking comments. They posted criticisms and ridicule such as "Get a grip," "Don't appear on TV," and "I want to hear your thoughts." In response, Kim replied with comments such as "Constitutional Court X mess."

During the last presidential election, Kim publicly declared his support for Yoon, then the People Power Party candidate, and assisted with campaign rallies. After the 12·3 Emergency Martial Law, netizens criticized Kim on his channel for supporting Yoon, and Kim has repeatedly engaged in heated debates with them.

Earlier that day, at 11:22 a.m., the Constitutional Court held the sentencing for Yoon's impeachment trial at the Grand Chamber in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and unanimously decided to remove him from office. As the Constitutional Court's decision took effect immediately upon sentencing, Yoon's status changed to "former president" as of 11:22 a.m. that day.

With this, Yoon, the first president in constitutional history to come from a prosecutor background and who seized power just eight months after entering politics, became the second president in history to be removed from office. The first was former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.