Yoon-less Yoon Marketing, Yoon Watching for Now

Refraining from Overt Political Activities
But Meeting Experts, Effectively Advancing Presidential Bid
Kim Jong-in: "Yoon Will Not Join People Power Party"

On the first day of early voting for the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is entering the early voting station set up at Namgajwa 1-dong Community Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, together with his father, Yoon Ki-jung, Honorary Professor at Yonsei University. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol appears to have effectively begun preparing for the presidency by engaging with experts from various fields. Meanwhile, books about him are being published one after another, signaling a growing Yoon Seok-yeol wave in the political arena. Although it remains unclear who Yoon will ally with, the political world is closely monitoring this series of changes.

On the 13th, a book titled Gusuhan Yoon Seok-yeol was released, followed by The True Heart of Yoon Seok-yeol on the 14th. Both books mainly discuss the former prosecutor general’s upbringing and personal traits, which have been largely unknown aside from his background as a prosecutor. Lee Kyung-wook, a former Yonhap News reporter and alumnus of Chung-Ang High School like Yoon, explained the motivation behind writing The True Heart of Yoon Seok-yeol: "Many people want to hear directly about Yoon Seok-yeol’s political views, worldview, and economic perspectives." Last September, Lee met Yoon at a restaurant in Seoul and had a three-hour conversation, which he compiled into the book. The book also recounts an anecdote where Lee asked Yoon, "Aren’t you shaken too much?" to which Yoon replied, "I’m straightforward."

Broadcast writer Kim Yeon-woo, who wrote Gusuhan Yoon Seok-yeol based on testimonies from Yoon’s university classmates, included details such as how Yoon was shunned by senior and junior prosecutors after handling the National Intelligence Service’s alleged interference in the presidential election case, and how Yoon said during the investigation of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, "This is a president-saving investigation. One of the duties of the Prosecutor General is to ensure this administration proceeds without disruption."

Public interest is rising, but Yoon himself still seems to be restraining from overt political moves. In a phone interview reported on the 13th, Yoon said, "I need to organize my thoughts before I can meet politicians," adding, "Isn’t it true that both ruling and opposition parties are currently seeking internal reform or structural changes?" This suggests that Yoon perceives both sides as not yet ready for his concrete political steps. Nevertheless, he has begun groundwork for his presidential bid. Recently, he met with Jung Seung-guk, a labor expert and professor of social welfare at Jungang Seungga University, to discuss youth employment, and earlier, he also met Kim Hyung-seok, a ‘101-year-old philosopher’ and honorary professor at Yonsei University.

Meanwhile, regarding Yoon’s future moves, Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, predicted in a media interview that Yoon "will not join the People Power Party." Kim added, "There might be a situation where a new party, as mentioned by former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, emerges," and forecasted, "By around May, some light might be seen."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.