(Editorial) First sitting president arrested… He pretended to be a victim until the end

Hold full responsibility and create a more robust democracy

President Yoon Seok-yeol was arrested at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul on the 15th. This is the first time in our constitutional history that a sitting president was arrested just 43 days after the martial law outbreak of December 3 and 32 days after the National Assembly passed the impeachment bill. The High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Office and the police arrested President Yoon at his official residence and transferred him to the High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Office five hours after they began executing the second arrest warrant this morning. The Corruption Investigation Office reported that President Yoon is refusing to make a statement during the Corruption Investigation Office’s investigation.

It is truly a national tragedy that President Yoon was forced to remain in his official residence surrounded by barriers and barbed wire. The unprecedented incident of the head of state and chief executive officer of the Republic of Korea being arrested by investigative agencies was shocking news not only to the Korean people but also to the world. Foreign media reported President Yoon’s arrest in real time, shedding new light on Korea’s leadership crisis. Korea was once praised as a country that achieved industrialization and democratization at the same time. However, the sudden declaration of martial law, the army’s intrusion into the National Assembly, and the operation to arrest the president, in which thousands of police officers were mobilized, became a hot topic around the world one after another.

Even after being arrested, President Yoon continued to use sophistry and absurdity, saying, “I agree to appear before the Corruption Investigation Office to prevent an unpleasant bloodshed.” In a video message filmed just before his arrest, President Yoon claimed, “All laws have collapsed in this country” and “Illegal, illegal, and illegal is being committed.” Furthermore, “Even if you are at such a disadvantage… “He appealed as if he were a victim, while also sending an inflammatory message to some people who support him, saying, “We will fight together until the end.”

In fact, looking at the absurd behavior that President Yoon has shown so far, he seems to be under the severe delusion that he is the victim of being unfairly condemned. Even though President Yoon declared martial law in defiance of the Constitution and laws due to his involvement in election rigging conspiracy theories, he tried to refute the decision by saying, “It was a warning to the opposition party.” In a handwritten letter released after his arrest that day, he said, “There is too much evidence of election fraud,” and even advanced a huge conspiracy theory that it was a joint effort between domestic political forces and external sovereignty usurpation forces.

President Yoon said, “I will not evade legal and political responsibility” and “I will confidently face the impeachment or investigation.” However, his consistent behavior of avoiding the investigation and holding out raised doubts as to whether he was a former lawyer who even served as Prosecutor General. When the Corruption Investigation Office began its investigation, it raised questions about its authority to investigate treason and refused to comply with all three requests for attendance. The controversy over investigative rights came to an end when the court issued an arrest warrant, and even though President Yoon’s appeal to the court was dismissed, he continued to act unreasonably. Just before being arrested, he asked to appear voluntarily. By giving the appearance of appearing on his own instead of being arrested by an investigative agency, he is trying to present that there is no risk of flight when an arrest warrant is requested in the future.

While President Yoon held on like this, the Republic of Korea became a total mess both inside and outside the country. As military and police leaders were arrested one after another, it not only created an immediate vacuum in security and public order, but also caused deep wounds in the fundamental organization of national order and public distrust. The continued political instability took a toll on the country’s credit rating, and the three major global credit rating agencies simultaneously warned of a downgrade of Korea’s credit rating. Furthermore, the conflict and division in our society, represented by the protests for and against impeachment in front of the official residence, will take considerable time to heal.

The strength of democracy lies in its ability to learn and adapt from mistakes. In fact, the history of democracy is full of shameful and terrible mistakes. As a leader elected by the people, contrary to the people’s expectations, President Yoon effectively kicked away the opportunity to reflect on himself and take responsibility for his mistakes. Now, the task remains to establish President Yoon under the judgment of law and history, to take full responsibility, and through that, to further strengthen our democracy.