Yoon Suk Yeol

[[File:South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol portrait.jpg|thumb|165px|Yeol himself, the Korean Trump.]]
{{politics}}
'''Yoon Suk Yeol''' (윤석열), or '''Yoon Suk-yeol''' {{lived|1960}} is a [[South Korea]]n politician and was the 13th President of South Korea, in power from May 10, 2022 to December 14, 2024. Prior to his presidency, he also served as the Prosecutor General of South Korea between 2019 and 2021. Yoon is often described as the Korean [[Trump]] or "K-Trump" by media.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220302020706/http://m.koreaherald.com/amp/view.php?ud=20220228000935 Is Yoon Suk-yeol the South Korean Trump?] ''The Korea Herald''.</ref> 

On December 3, 2024, Yoon [[Yoon Suk Yeol#Declaration of martial law|declared emergency martial law]] under the pretext of safeguarding a "free Repubilc of Korea" (자유대한민국){{efn|The Korean word 자유 can be translated into liberal, liberty, libertarian and free. Since Yoon Suk Yeol is not a liberal, but an authoritarian conservative, it is desirable to translate 자유 in this context into "free" (in an anti-communist context) rather than "liberal".}} from the supposedly [[red-baiting|North Korean-sympathizing]] opposition. This [[self-coup]] attempt failed only a few hours after Yoon's declaration.<ref>[https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-self-coup-south-korea-presidents-attempt-ended-in-failure-a-notable-exception-in-a-growing-global-trend-235738 "What is a self-coup? South Korea president’s attempt ended in failure − a notable exception in a growing global trend"] by John Joseph Chin and Joe Wright, Conversation, 2024 December 5</ref> As a result of this, Yoon [[Yoon Suk Yeol#Downfall and impeachment|was impeached]] on December 14, 2024,<ref>[https://thediplomat.com/2024/12/south-korean-president-impeached-by-legislature-after-self-coup-attempt/ "South Korean President Impeached by Legislature After Self Coup Attempt"] by Mitch Shin, The Diplomat, 2024 December 14</ref> and sentenced to life in prison on February 19, 2026.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx28y8xd1vjo "South Korea's ex-president jailed for life over martial law attempt"] by Jake Kwon and Kelly Ng, BBC, 2026 February 19</ref>

== Social issues ==
=== Anti-feminism ===
Yoon is a very [[anti-feminist]] ideologue, and his policies are reflected by this with his [[misogyny]] and [[sexism]]. He has pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family since he was a presidential candidate. Although he failed to abolish the ministry due to international pressure, including the [[US]], he is still hostile to [[feminism]].<ref>[https://igg-geo.org/?p=10776&lang=en President Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality: a reflection of a South Korean society plagued by growing anti-feminism]</ref>

=== Anti-LGBT bigotry ===
The Yoon administration is attempting to reform the [[conscription]] system, while [[trans women]] (men by conservative South Korean law) who have not received [[HRT|hormone therapy]] for more than six months to be conscripted as social service workers supplementary to the military. Previously, in South Korea, trans-women who do not legally receive hormone therapy are considered male and subject to conscription, but trans-women who have received hormone therapy for more than six months even if they are legally male are not subject to conscription. (South Korean law has been transphobic since before Yoon, but Yoon is anti-trans even by conservative South Korean standards.)<ref>[https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/rights/1125074.html [단독] ‘트랜스여성도 병역의무’ 부여하려고 판정기준 낮추려는 국방부]</ref>

== State nationalism ==
As explained below, because he is a [[Confucian]] conservative and anti-[[communist]], he attacks South Korean liberals/progressives/leftists, who want to sign [[peace]] treaties with [[North Korea]], as "[ethnic] nationalism" (민족주의), "anti-[[Japanese]] [[racism]]" and even as "[[fascism]]". However, he does not actually deny all forms of [[nationalism]], and he supports the "state nationalism" (국가주의) of South Korea. In South Korea, 국가주의 is mainly a right-wing ideology, but 민족주의 is mainly a left-wing ideology. 국가주의 is a view that prioritizes South Korea's anti-communist/conservative state identity over peaceful relations with North Korea.

Supporters of Yoon Suk Yeol accuse opponents of being "anti-Japanese racists" or "fascists" for advocating 민족주의, but rather Yoon Suk Yeol's 국가주의 has a [[Shōwa Statism|very fascist history on the pre-1945 Korean Peninsula.]]

== "Anti-ethnonationalism" ==
"Opposition to ethnic nationalism" in South Korea does not have the same meaning as in the United States. It means opposing peace on the Korean Peninsula, pursuing an ultra-hawkish foreign policy toward North Korea, strengthening repressive militarism, anti-North state-based nationalism, abandoning the post-[[colonial]] agenda (in issues related to Japanese [[imperialism]]) to antagonizing North Korea, and cooperating with the [[historical revisionist]]/anti-Korean racistic ultranationalist government-dominated Japanese government.

He often describes the opposition parties as "Pro-North Korea" (친북) or "Anti-Japanese ethnonationalist" (반일 민족주의).<ref>[https://www.donga.com/news/Politics/article/all/20230321/118443130/1 尹 “배타적 민족주의·반일 외치며 정치이득 취하는 세력 존재”]</ref>

The reason why South Korean conservatives are Japanophilia and anti-'Korean nationalism' is also related to traditionalist conservatism, North Korea has suppressed Confucian culture because it is communist [[dictatorship]] 
although it was actually a Kim monarchy
 but Japan has a well-maintained traditional culture throughout society.

=== Anti-North Korean sentiment (or anti-communism) ===
With the exception of the Syngman Rhee (who was the first president), Yoon has the most hostile view toward North Korea among all presidents in South Korea in general and among all conservative ones in particular. He rejects dialogue with North Korea itself and only prefers hawkish policy.<ref>[https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/english_editorials/1086990.html Even Park Chung-hee talked to N. Korea — so why won’t Yoon?]</ref> The point where Yoon in the 2020s and Rhee's anti-North Korean sentiment in the 1950s cannot be equated is that North Korea invaded South Korea during the Rhee period. Therefore, unlike Yoon's deliberate promotion of anti-North Korean sentiment, anti-North Korean sentiment was common among South Koreans in the 1950s. After 1953, South and North Korea went into a armistice, effectively ending the war for more than 70 years, but South Korean conservatives and North Korean hard-liners oppose a peace treaty.

He even unilaterally reversed a military agreement reached by the [[Moon Jae-in]] government with North Korea in 2018, which called for banning fighter jets from flying on the inter-Korea military demarcation line, after becoming president in 2023. Of course, the fact that North Korea is a terrible [[totalitarian]] dictatorship remains unchanged, but Yoon Suk Yeol has actually made a diplomatic provocation against North Korea.<ref>[https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/politics_general/1117323.html 9·19 9·19 남북군사합의 5년 만에 일부 효력정지…윤 대통령 재가]</ref>

Despite his ultraconservative [[LGBT]], women's rights, and [[disability]] policies, he is closer to [[Joe Biden]] than to [[Donald Trump]] when it comes to North Korean policy. Because Trump supported South Korean liberals' traditional North Korea policy, the Sunshine Policy (햇볕정책), South Korean conservatives believe Trump "betrayed conservatism".

=== Pro-Japanese colonialism (or Japanophilia) ===
{{See|Internalized discrimination}}
While mainstream politicians and people in South Korea have strong anti-[[Japanese]] sentiment, Yoon Suk Yeol has often expressed diplomatically 
weeabooist
pro-Japanese views. He is ready to give up all post-colonial agendas for the friendly relationship between South Korea and Japan that the United States wants.<ref>[https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/assembly/1106713.html “윤 대통령은 친일파…역사, 자존심, 오염수 다 팔아먹어”]</ref> He even argues that victims of past Japanese war crimes in South Korea, including forced labor, should not demand compensation from Japanese companies and the Japanese government.<ref>Sang-Hun, Choe (March 5, 2023). [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/world/asia/south-korea-japan-forced-labor.html "Historical Disputes Kept Them at Odds. Can Seoul and Tokyo Make Amends?"]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved August 18, 2023.</ref> Even {{wpl|Robert Kelly (political analyst)|Robert Kelly}}, who is critical of South Koreans' anti-Japanese sentiment,<ref>[https://robertedwinkelly.com/2015/07/03/more-on-south-korean-anti-japanism-and-the-intra-korean-legitimacy-contest/ More on South Korean ‘Anti-Japanism’ and the Intra-Korean Legitimacy Contest] (July 3, 2015). Robert E Kelly.</ref> described him as "pro-Japanese".<ref>"Yoon is free-lancing a pro-Japanese foreign policy against the will of the SK public, ..." [https://x.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/1692919040820355354?t=soyeZe9CWFD81NHc_sv0Pg&s=19 Robert Kelly's Tweet] (Aug 20, 2023)</ref>

==== LINE issue ====
Originally developed by ''NAVER'' (네이버), a South Korean company, and mainly used in Japan, there is a messenger called LINE, which operates LINE as a joint venture with ''SoftBank'' (ソフトバンク), a Japanese company, in consideration of anti-Korean nationalism in Japan. In 2024, the [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Japanese right-wing nationalist]] government and ''SoftBank''. are calling for the sale of their shares to take control of LINE from ''NAVER''. South Korean liberals criticize the Yoon Suk Yeol government for not fighting against [Japanese] imperialistic, anti-market and anti-Korean [Japanese] nationalistic demands from the Japanese government. (''SoftBank'' is already in charge of LINE's practical management, which is the result of undue pressure on Korean companies due to anti-Korean sentiment prevalent throughout Japanese society, including the Japanese public, the government, and bureaucrats.)<ref>https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2024/04/26/55UELRTBENA2TPLJ5U6BUMON5U/</ref><ref>https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_business/1140629</ref><ref>https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2024/04/129_373607.html</ref>

==== Sado mine issue ====
The Yoon Suk Yeol government has expressed its de facto support for the [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|right-wing Japanese government]]'s attempt to list the Sado mine as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a symbol of Japan's modernization; the {{wpl|Sado mine}} was subjected to "forced labor" against Koreans during World War II. This was a move for Yoon Suk Yeol to maintain good relations with Japan. Japan never recognizes the "forced labor" done at the Sado mine.<ref>[https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/1152682.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=btn_share&utm_content=20240807 Even after Japan rejected demand to include term ‘forced,’ Korea signed off on Sado registration] ''Hankyoreh'' (Aug 7, 2024)</ref>

This is not the first time Japan's far-right revisionism of history; Japan promised to recognize and commemorate the "forced labor" of Koreans before listing {{wpl|Hashima Island}} as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015 as a symbol of Japan's modernization, {{wpl|Hashima Island#Historical revisionism and international condemnation|but has never recognized the "forced labor" of Koreans on Hashima since its listing}}. 

'''Consider the German chancellor denying the Holocaust and the Israeli prime minister sympathizing with it.''' However, the U.S. government wants South Korea and Japan to maintain good relations to keep China in check, so Yoon will not take issue with Japanese historical deniers to satisfy the U.S.<ref>[https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/english_editorials/1152693.html In allowing Sado mine registration, Yoon forsakes history and diplomacy] ''Hankyoreh'' (2024-08-07)</ref><ref>[http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/699205.html "S. Korea and Japan debate comments about being "forced to work""]. ''The Hankyoreh''. July 7, 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-13.</ref>

As a side note, the Japanese government is against the UNESCO World Heritage listing of the '[[comfort women]]' records.<ref>[https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/817040.htmlUNESCO postpones registration of comfort women archival materials due to pressure from Japanese government] ''Hankyoreh'' (2017-11-01)</ref>

== Democratic backsliding ==
His government is pushing back Korea's [[democracy]] dramatically, similar to Japan's [[Shinzō Abe]] administration in the past. He is notorious for his oppression of liberal or [ethnic] nationalist media (sympathetic to North Korea and hostile to Japan) because he is an extreme anti-communist.

According to 'V-Dem', a prominent German democratic research institute, South Korea is experiencing "re-autocratification" under the Yoon administration, and liberal democracy is rapidly undermined.<ref>[https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2024/03/113_370351.html Democracy in Korea regressed under Yoon: research] ''The Korea Times''</ref>

President Yoon's recent comments describing the opposition as "anti-state forces"/"anti-national forces" (반국가세력), shows that this trend is far from over.<ref>[https://www.9dashline.com/article/evaluating-south-koreas-democratic-backsliding EVALUATING SOUTH KOREA'S DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING]</ref>

==2024-2025 martial law crisis==
{{fascism}}
{{wpl|Antony Blinken}} ([안]토니 블링컨) compared Yoon Suk Yeol's coup attempt through martial law to the [[2021 U.S. coup attempt]]; both Yoon and Trump incited hostility towards the liberal opposition and claimed that the opposition's victory in the election was a "fraudulent election."<ref>https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/diplomacy/1176631.html#ace04ou</ref>
===Losing the midterm elections===
But thankfully, the people of South Korea weren't bewitched by Yoon's nonsense [[Donald Trump|the way other democracies are with their strongmen]]. In the 2024 parliamentary elections, essentially Seoul's midterms, Yoon was so monumentally unpopular that the opposition Democratic Party of Korea won in a landslide, severely weakening his grip on power and his control over the country's future. <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240411094953/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/04/11/asia-pacific/politics/election-rout-yoon-lame-duck/ "Election rout makes Yoon's 'lame duck' fears reality," The Japan Times]</ref> <ref>[https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/in-south-korea-president-yoons-lame-duck-era-officially-begins/ "In South Korea, President Yoon’s Lame Duck Era Officially Begins," Mitch Shin]</ref>

===Declaration of martial law===
On December 3, 2024, Yoon declared martial law in South Korea, the first time it had been declared since the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan in 1980. Yoon accused the Democratic Party (DPK), which has a majority in the National Assembly, of conducting "anti-state activities" and collaborating with "[[North Korea]]n [[communist]]s" to destroy the country, thereby creating a "legislative dictatorship." <ref>[https://news.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20241203050125 Full text of his martial law declaration]</ref> 

This meant Yoon prohibited political activities, including gatherings of the National Assembly and local legislatures, and suspended the free press, all because he was butthurt that he lost the midterms. But he didn't stop there. Yoon reportedly ordered the arrest of various political opponents, including the leaders of the DPK and his own People Power Party (PPP). This event was widely characterized by Korean politicians and news organizations, both international and domestic, as an attempted self-coup. <ref>[https://news.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20241204050014 "Assembly speaker declares martial law as invalid," Jung Min-kyung, the Korean Herald]</ref> <ref>[https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/pc/view/view.do?ncd=8122844 "Democratic Party's martial law warnings become reality," KBS]</ref> 

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was allegedly sidelined in the decision-making process leading up to the martial law declaration, and discussions were kept private between Yoon and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.<ref>[https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2024/12/356_387639.html "PM Han overlooked as defense minister bypasses him on martial law declaration," Korea Times]</ref> Kim is a member of the "Choongam faction", a group within Yoon's inner circle made up of graduates from his alma mater, Choongam High School in Seoul.<ref>[https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20241204050066 "Defense minister, Yoon high school alumnus, named as mastermind of martial law plot," Choi Jae-hee, Korea Herald]</ref> Kim urged Yoon to enact martial law during a cabinet meeting shortly before the official declaration. Yoon sent armed troops to raid the National Election Commission (NEC) headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province (10 troops), one of its training centers in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province (130 troops) and the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission in Gwanak District in southern Seoul (47 troops), allegedly to investigate "election fraud," which [[Donald Trump|sounds awfully familiar]].<ref>[https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20241206050095 "Why did martial law troops go to National Election Commission?" Shin Ji-hye, Korea Herald]</ref>

This was all done without the cabinet's approval.<ref>[https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241204002400315?section=national/politics "Main opposition leader decries martial law declaration as illegal, unconstitutional," Song Sang-ho, YNA]</ref> Yoon was even planning to arrest the leader of his own goddamn party. According to testimony by National Intelligence Service Deputy Director Hong Jang-won to the National Assembly on December 6, Yoon called him at 22:53 on December 3 and ordered him to help the DCC arrest his political opponents and that Yoon wanted to "use this chance to arrest them and wipe them out." Hong refused, so Yoon fired him.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8y7ggm89lo "South Korea president ordered arrest of own party leader," BBC]</ref> Yoon even ordered the arrest of a judge who made a not-guilty verdict on Korea's opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung. <ref>[https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241213006300315 "Yoon ordered arrest of judge who made not-guilty verdict on opposition leader: police chief's lawyer," Kim Seung-yeon, Yonhap News Agency]</ref> Due to Yoon's declaration of martial law, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency blocked all entrances to the National Assembly by 23:04 and prevented lawmakers from reaching the plenary session to overturn the martial law declaration<ref>[https://koreapro.org/2024/12/timeline-the-swift-rise-and-fall-of-martial-law-in-south-korea/ "Timeline: The swift rise and fall of martial law in South Korea," KoreaPro]</ref>

===Downfall and impeachment===
But in spite of all this, lawmakers outmaneuvered the police, protesters (who have military training due to conscription) pushed the martial law troops back, and the National Assembly passed an emergency motion nullifying the declaration several hours later. Yoon was forced to lift the martial law declaration in disgrace. <ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn38321180et?post=asset%3A69e3ba8d-55f4-443e-9531-84ad91772741#post "South Korea cabinet lifts martial law," BBC Live]</ref> After surviving an initial impeachment vote, Yoon was successfully impeached in a second vote on December 14, 2024, with 204 voting in favor, including members of his own party. <ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c140xjv31lxo "South Korean MPs impeach president over martial law attempt," BBC News]</ref>

===Attempted insurrection===
Yoon's failed martial law declaration and impeachment didn't stop his far-right supporters from taking to the streets to stop his arrest. Taking a leaf from [[2021 U.S. coup attempt|their inspiration]], they started to carry around the US flag with slogans of "[[Bullshit|Stop the Steal]]". Unsurprisingly, a large number of such protesters are followers of right-wing [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical wingnuts]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/03/why-yoon-suk-yeol-supporters-us-flags-south-korea-ntwnfb Why supporters of South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol are flying US flags] Raphael Rashid. The Guardian. 3 January, 2025</ref> On January 25, during a court proceeding over Yoon's failed martial law declaration, a group of Yoon supporters attacked the courthouse and forcibly entered it in an attempt to find and harm the presiding judge, proclaiming "[[Red-baiting|Get all the communist judges]]". In the process, they broke windows and security cameras, attacked police and court personnel, with some even attempting to set the courthouse on fire. Overall, over 80 people were arrested for the rioting.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/18/yoon-suk-yeol-impeached-south-korean-president-argues-for-release Yoon supporters storm Seoul court after his detainment period is extended] The Guardian. 18 January, 2025.</ref> For protesters crying about "anti-state activities" from their opponents, they sure love to engage in some law-breaking [[psychological projection|when it suits them]].

===First sitting president to be arrested===
Since lawmakers voted to impeach and strip him of his duties after his failed self-coup, Yoon retreated to his hillside residence, guarded by a "small army of presidential security staff" who "blocked a previous arrest attempt earlier this month." On 15 January 2025, over three thousand police officers marched onto his residence, essentially daring him to continue resisting arrest. Yoon, who saw where the wind blew, turned himself in for questioning, although he refused to answer any question while being interviewed. He continues to say his arrest is illegal. This marks the first time a sitting president of South Korea has been arrested. <ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-authorities-president-yoons-residence-execute-arrest-warrant-yonhap-2025-01-14/ "South Korean investigators question arrested President Yoon in insurrection probe," Hyunsu Yim and Ju-min Park, Reuters]</ref> <ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/world/asia/south-korea-president-yoon-jail-life.html "Dumpling Soup, Dried Radish and Cabbage Kimchi: South Korean Leader’s Life in Jail," New York Times]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Imperialism#United States of America|American imperialism]] - His '[[Uncle Tom|humiliating]]' pro-Japanese diplomacy is related to the Japan-South Korea-United States military cooperation push that the U.S. is demanding coercively. (Many South Koreans support the South Korea-United States alliance but oppose the Japan-South Korea-United States triangular alliance that the U.S. demands.)
*[[Brian Reynolds Myers]] - A big supporter of Yoon.
*[[Donald Trump]] - His most similar counterpart. Trump is an American nationalist when it comes to dealing with other countries, but on issues related to [[Russia]], Trump is more of a 'Russophile' than an American nationalist.
*[[Shinzō Abe]] - His Japanese counterpart, and quite similar despite their opposing ethnic nationalism.
*[[People Power Party]], a conservative party with him as its member.
*[[Shin Ki-wook]] - A right-wing Korean American scholar who supports Yoon. (Shin's a fan of Yoon, but Shin's not a fan of Trump.)
*[[National Security Act]] - in the authoritarian Yoon administration, the scope of application of the law has expanded.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80}}

[[Category:Anti-LGBT bigots]]
[[Category:Antifeminism]]
[[Category:Catholics]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Convicted felons]]
[[Category:Coups]]
[[Category:Dictators]]
[[Category:Fascists]]
[[Category:Government incompetence]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Internalized discrimination]]
[[Category:Japanese war crimes denial]]
[[Category:Lawyers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Korea]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:Sexists]]
[[Category:Shōwa Statism]]
[[Category:South Korean politics]]
[[Category:Transphobes]]

Categories: Anti-LGBT bigots, Antifeminism, Catholics, Christians, Convicted felons, Coups, Dictators, Fascists, Government incompetence, Homophobes, Internalized discrimination, Japanese war crimes denial, Lawyers, Living people, Korea, Racists, Right-wing activists, Sexists, Shōwa Statism, South Korean politics, Transphobes