The detained president mobilizes the prison power party to keep the supporters unified, but the expert warns that he could turn against him
In South Korean history, five of the country’s 13 presidents were arrested and imprisoned during their mandate or after. Being behind bars has limited their ability to communicate with the public as free as function. However, most of them choose to send messages through visitors and their legal representatives, reporting that they always have an influence. The president dismissed, Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been detained in the Seoul detention center since last month, is no exception.
Several legislators of the conservative party visited Yoon in prison and sent his messages to the public by the press thereafter. He has been criticized by the main Democratic Party of the Korean opposition for having carried out a “penitentiary policy” in recent weeks. Although some may think that Yoon simply does not want to be forgotten, there are probably ulterior motives hiding under his actions, according to observers.
On February 3, Yoon received his first series of visitors made up of a delegation of legislators from the Persons of Persons, who included interim chief Kwon Young-Se, the soil chief Kweon Seong-Dong and the legislator of five terms Na Kyung-Won.
Immediately after their visit, representative Na began to transmit Yoon’s message to journalists waiting in front of the detention center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi province.
She said that Yoon had told them that her decree of martial law had been his attempt to “resolve the situation where the management of state affairs was paralyzed due to the” unique dictatorship of the Democratic Party within the Assembly national »with a feeling of strong responsibility. “”
She added that Yoon had told them that he felt a relief that his “Martial law decree had been able to reveal to the public the various acts of the Democratic Party which paralyzed the affairs of the state”.
The second round of party visitors to Yoon on February 7, by a pair known to be his enthusiasts of supporters, the representatives of the Power Power Power Yoon Sang-Hyun and Kim Meen-Geon, took place in a similar way.
Immediately after finishing his 30 -minute visit to the detained president, the representative Yoon told the press that Yoon said he thought he had “excellent work” by comparing his accusation trial at the Court constitutional the day before.
The main opposition party criticized Yoon’s measures to relay its messages by visiting the legislators as “penitentiary policy” via a spokesperson.
“Instead of apologizing or calling for unity among the people, President Yoon deployed the opposite message after his meetings (with the legislators of the ruling party) – he made up of all (members (members ) of the ruling party through its penitentiary policy, “The representative of the Democratic Party, Han Min-Soo, said.
According to an expert, by Yoon’s Yoon to deliver his messages by visiting the legislators of the PPP, at a time when the conservative block seeks to see recovery in its popularity, according to an expert.
“It is an attempt to unify the fans and supporters of the Hardcore of Yoon by nourishing them on several occasions the information according to which it is (allegedly) the unjust acts of the Democratic Party which prompted him to declare martial law “Said Shin Yul, professor of political science at MyONGJI University by phone.
“It would be difficult for the Conservative Party and the President to ignore the Fandom which emerged thanks to the taxation of martial law, in particular for a (conservative) block which has long fought with popularity,” said -Ali said.
Yoon is considered one of the least popular presidents in the country. He has a hard time with small notes of approval since his elected representative by the narrowest share of the vote in South Korean history – 0.73 percentage points – in 2022, against a liberal rival and the president of the party ‘Opposition now made Lee Jae-Myung.
The decree of the sloppy martial law of Yoon, on December 3, damaged its reputation worldwide, but at the same time, revealed something that was previously hidden – the hardcore fans of Yoon of the far right.
The supporters of Yoon, calling for his immediate release of the prison, not only organized frequent rallies, but also would have drawn and carried out a violent riot in which they attacked and broke into the district court of Seoul on January 19 . Violence and vandalism at the Court, for having attacked him on his decision to issue an arrest warrant against Yoon.
“But this so-called penitentiary policy could ultimately turn against Yoon and the ruling party, because the dismissed president could become a symbol of the far-right conservatives, and AlienaRelatively more moderate voters, ” Shin explained.
Yoon is not the first president criticized for having orchestrated political maneuvers behind bars. Former President Park Geun-Hye, who had her own fans base, did not meet several legislators when she was in prison from the beginning of 2017 to the end of 2021, sentenced for corruption and abuse of power. His only interactions were with the former representative of the Power Power, Yoo Young-ha, who was a legal advisor at the time.
Instead, his messages were transmitted by Yoo and a book of letters written in prison published in late 2021.
A month before the 2020 presidential election, she called for unity among her supporters and conservative voters to vote for Yoon, who was the conservative presidential candidate at the time, thanks to a handwritten letter published by Yoo . The Democratic Party of the time criticized Park for kidding his supporters by serving a prison sentence.
In her book, a collection of letters written in prison and published a few hours before her release under presidential forgiveness, she defended herself against the crimes for which she had been sentenced. She insisted that she had never engaged in something “ugly”, like abusing her power in favor of those around her to a personal gain.