Yoon's Side: "The Evening of Martial Law Was Kim Moonsoo's 'Moment of Destiny'... Unwavering Loyalty"

"Absent from the Cabinet Meeting on the Eve of Martial Law... It Felt Like Destiny"
"The One Who Sat Firmly Despite Demands for an Apology Over Martial Law"

Lawyer Seok Donghyun, who has been friends with former President Yoon Sukyeol for 46 years, commented on the selection of former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moonsoo as the People Power Party's presidential candidate, describing it as "the most desired outcome and, logically, a natural result."

On May 4, Seok posted on Facebook under the title "History Sometimes Begins with Coincidence," expressing these views.

Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, is delivering his acceptance speech after being confirmed as the final candidate.

Seok recalled the evening of December 3 last year, when martial law was declared, and shared that he had dinner with candidate Kim Moonsoo that night. He explained, "Together with the head of a local government in the Seoul metropolitan area, the three of us spent more than two hours discussing pressing issues, such as the opposition's indiscriminate attempts at mass impeachment, expressing our concerns." After the meal, candidate Kim returned to his home in Bongcheon-dong, while Seok went back to his residence in Jamsil.

He continued, "About 20 to 30 minutes after I got home, I received calls from acquaintances telling me to turn on the TV, and President Yoon was reading the declaration of martial law," describing the shock he felt at the time. He immediately wondered, "The declaration of martial law requires deliberation by the Cabinet, but wasn't Minister Kim Moonsoo, a Cabinet member, just with me moments ago?"

Lawyer Seok Donghyun, attorney for President Yoon Sukyeol. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Seok argued that "when the presidential office urgently contacted Cabinet members that evening, candidate Kim did not receive the call and therefore did not attend the Cabinet meeting, so he had no prior knowledge of the martial law declaration." He added, "Although there were no unavoidable circumstances, it was puzzling that candidate Kim was absent, but I had an intuition that this incident could later become a turning point or a critical juncture."

That intuition became reality. After the martial law crisis, when Seo Youngkyo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, demanded that Cabinet members 'stand up and apologize to the people,' Seok said, "Only candidate Kim remained firmly seated, and this image became clearly imprinted in the public's mind," suggesting, "That might have been his 'moment of destiny.'"

He also highly praised candidate Kim's "confident demeanor" during the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial of the president, stating, "Unlike others, he did not even consider preparing for the presidential election until the impeachment decision was announced, which is enough to be recognized as a sign of unwavering loyalty."

Despite insufficient preparation for an early presidential run, Seok analyzed that candidate Kim's career and experience were enough to earn the trust of voters. He argued, "With a life of integrity, extensive political and administrative experience, and especially his two terms as governor of Gyeonggi Province?which can be seen as a microcosm of South Korea?candidate Kim won the support of both conservative and centrist voters."

In conclusion, Seok stated, "I firmly believe that candidate Kim will unite the broader conservative right, prevent the absurdity of a shameless defendant becoming the national leader, and stop the rise of a pro-North Juche faction regime that would destroy South Korea's successful history."

Seok, a former prosecutor who served as chief of the Public Security Department at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, is a conservative legal professional who was also nominated as a candidate for head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) by the People Power Party. He is a classmate of former President Yoon from Seoul National University School of Law and is currently serving as a defense attorney for both the impeachment trial and subsequent criminal proceedings.