Woo Wonsik Says He Was Shocked by Yoon's Birthday Card Last September... Suggests Martial Law Was Long in Preparation

No Congratulatory Call Upon Becoming Speaker
Birthday Card Addressed to "Assemblyman" Instead
Reveals Former President Yoon's Actions in CBS Interview

National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonsik stated that former President Yoon Suk-yeol had already shown no willingness to communicate with the National Assembly since the middle of last year. Based on this, there is speculation that former President Yoon may have been preparing for martial law for at least six months.

In a CBS Radio interview on the 15th, Speaker Woo commented on former President Yoon's declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, saying, "I felt that it had been prepared for a very long time," and introduced examples of former President Yoon's inexplicable disregard for the National Assembly. He said, "I became Speaker of the National Assembly on June 5 last year," and added, "It is customary for the President to call and congratulate the new Speaker, but (former President Yoon) did not make a congratulatory call." He continued, "The next day, we met at a ceremony at the National Cemetery. He shook my hand as he passed by, but did not acknowledge me at all and simply walked away after the handshake," recalling, "It made me think that he was completely ignoring the National Assembly."

Woo Wonsik, Speaker of the National Assembly, is applauding at the 1st anniversary press conference held at Sarangjae, the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 11th. 2025.6.11 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

In September, Speaker Woo also described being surprised by a card from former President Yoon. He said, "My birthday is in September, and I received a birthday card," adding, "My position is Speaker of the National Assembly, but the card said, 'Happy birthday, National Assemblyman Woo Wonsik.'" In addition, Speaker Woo said that he tried to call former President Yoon to propose a meeting regarding constitutional amendment and other issues, but even as Speaker, he was not given the phone number. He explained, "There were many pending issues that the National Assembly needed to address, including discussions on constitutional amendment, and since he had completely cut off relations with the National Assembly, I tried to call him once. I knew the direct number, but I thought it would be impolite to call without official confirmation, so I asked the presidential office to confirm the number, but they replied, 'We cannot give it to you.'"

He went on to mention that former President Yoon did not attend the opening ceremony of the National Assembly or the policy address, both of which are events the President customarily attends. He said, "When I was confronted with the declaration of martial law on December 3, I thought, 'So this is what he was preparing for.'" He added, "Looking at the Speaker of the National Assembly, I wonder if he thought there was no need to greet me since he was planning to put me away anyway."