Koreans called on Mr. Trump to ‘save’ President Yoon

Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol are using slogans Stop the theft (Stop the Steal), which was commonly used by Donald Trump’s supporters after the 2020 US election.

They gathered in front of the Korean presidential palace in Yongsan district on January 3, waving banners with this slogan written in English and the American flag. The hashtags #StopTheSteal and election fraud also appeared in the Korean social network community, along with memes in the style of the MAGA movement (Make America Great Again).

Like American voters who believed there was a plot to steal Mr. Trump’s victory, those loyal to President Yoon believe that the Democratic Party that controls South Korea’s parliament is abusing its power to depose him. They also hope that the US President-elect will speak up and intervene to help Mr. Yoon once he takes office on January 20.

“America or Mr. Trump will intervene and save Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol,” Ms. Ahn Young-mi, over 60 years old, said while waving American and Korean flags next to the police security fence in front of the presidential palace. system.

On a nearby makeshift stage, cheerleaders urged the crowd to chant “Long live Mr. Trump,” a slogan commonly used in South Korean right-wing circles to praise the US President-elect, who They believe they also have good intentions towards Mr. Yoon.

When declaring martial law on the night of December 3, 2024, President Yoon did not mention conspiracy theories about the parliamentary election eight months earlier, when the ruling party lost heavily to the opposition Democratic Party. However, Mr. Yoon requested the deployment of hundreds of soldiers to raid the National Election Commission (NEC), before the Korean National Assembly voted to nullify martial law.

In a speech nearly a week later, Mr. Yoon accused North Korea of ​​attacking NEC’s computer system, but did not provide evidence. He said the attack was discovered by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), but the agency refused to fully cooperate in the investigation and audit of NEC’s computer system.

President Yoon then raised questions about the transparency of the April 2024 parliamentary election. This issue has become a key argument of Mr. Yoon’s supporters and believes that the declaration of martial law in December 2024 was reasonable.

“I look forward to Mr. Trump taking office and speaking out against fraudulent elections in our country and around the world. He will help President Yoon quickly return to power,” Pyeong In-su , 71 years old, said.

Seo Hye-kyoung, holding a banner in her hand Stop the theft, even believe that foreigners came to Korea to “steal votes”. When asked about the fact that the NEC publicly denied allegations of election fraud, Seo affirmed that she only trusted President Yoon.

“The president is not someone who would say something untrue,” she said.

America is closely linked to South Korea’s national identity. The country supported South Korea during the Korean War of 1950-1953. Through decades of military and economic cooperation, the United States has reinforced its image as both an indispensable ally and symbolic protector of South Korea’s security. Therefore, when conservative factions organize protests, they often place the Korean flag next to the American flag to emphasize their commitment to the alliance.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office and begin his second term on January 20, has so far not made any comments on Mr. Yoon’s political fate. Mr. Trump’s election campaign last year also did not have any clear connections with groups supporting President Yoon.

Employees of the Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials (CIO) and the police force gathered in front of President Yoon’s residence on the morning of January 3, deploying the arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Western Court earlier. week. However, after about 5 and a half hours of deadlock, with many struggles with the building security unit and the Presidential Guard Service (PSS), the CIO announced the withdrawal of troops and postponed the execution of the arrest warrant to ensure safety for employees.

PSS declared the incident on January 3 as an illegal intrusion and the use of an illegal arrest warrant. This agency affirmed that it will continue to protest the arrest warrant for Mr. Yoon, and at the same time consider legal action against the investigators.

The lawyer representing Mr. Yoon, Yun Gap-geun, filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court and requested disciplinary action against judge Lee Soon-hyung of the Seoul Western Court.