South Korea moves towards normality after its most tumultuous week in decades. Its president, Yoon Suk-yeol, has had his party turn him into a zombie just hours after saving him from parliamentary dismissal, as opprobrious for him as it was devastating for the conservative formation. The good news for Yoon ends there, with a disturbing personal and legal horizon.
The leader of the People’s Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, announced this Sunday that the “prompt and orderly withdrawal” of the president “will minimize the chaos suffered by the country and its people, stabilize the political situation and restore liberal democracy.” He said it after a extraordinary cabinet meeting held this Sunday noon because the situation made it inadvisable to wait until Monday. All of his powers in domestic politics and diplomatic representation have been withdrawn from the still president. They are now in the hands of the prime minister, a barely ceremonial figure in South Korean politics.
The process seems like a rinse between the party and Yoon to save the furniture. His dismissal would have led to an election that would have sunk the conservatives while the failure of the vote will allow them to exhaust their two and a half years of mandate. Yoon, however, has concerns piling up. The opposition has announced that it will promote another motion of no confidence next week: that one is manageable because its party can sabotage it again. Against the judicial investigation, on the other hand, they will not be able to help you. The prosecution has described him as “suspected” of treason and abuse of power for the short-lived martial law that he approved and lifted on Tuesday night. These crimes are not covered by presidential immunity and the first contemplates long prison sentences and even the death penalty.
Accused of treason
Normality requires purging everyone who contributed to vaudeville. The prosecution arrested former Prime Minister Kim Yong-hyun this Sunday, accused of treason. He is credited with the order to send the Army to Parliament and the suggestion to Moon to approve martial law. The night before he had voluntarily given a statement to the police and they searched his office and home on Sunday morning. His arrest is explained by the seriousness of the charges and the danger of destroying evidenceofficial sources have explained. Kim had deleted her account on a messaging app hours earlier and the police have confiscated her phone to recover them. It has been an “emergency arrest”, a legal means that allows arrests without a court order in serious crimes or when there is a risk of flight.
It is the humiliating culmination of a three-star general whom the president, an old friend, turned to in September to take charge of the Army. When he was appointed in September, he was asked by the opposition if the rumors that he intended to dictate martial law to order the country were true. That is leftist propaganda and false news, he responded.
Seoul woke up on Sunday without the rebellious revelry of recent days. Just a few pockets of those opposed to Yoon have gathered around the Popular Assembly. Citizens need a rest after an exhausting calendar of protests that has not served to unseat the president. The evacuation order issued by the PPP to its legislators left the impeachment process without the necessary quorum and an infamous photograph: that of the empty conservative bench in the most relevant vote in recent years.
It is in the interest of the country to catch up in a complex international context. Yoon was scheduled to meet with Donald Trump as soon as he returned to the White House but it is doubtful that will happen. His self-coup received incomprehension and criticism from Washington and Tokyo, traditional allies of Seoul, when the North Korean threat has multiplied due to Russian aid.
