President Yoon Preparing for Public Opinion Battle, Aiming to Rally Supporters

Appointment of Impeachment Trial Legal Team... Preparation for Plea Proceedings Begins

On the 12th, citizens at the Seoul Station waiting room are watching the urgent statement announcement regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration of martial law. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed a legal team necessary for the impeachment trial and began the preparatory procedures for the hearing on the 27th. Having maintained a 'no response' strategy while staying secluded at the Hannam-dong residence, President Yoon appears to be shifting to a full-fledged defense response starting with the appointment of the legal team.

A presidential office official stated, "President Yoon's side is organizing their stance in preparation for the impeachment trial and the prosecution's summons investigation, together with the legal team," adding, "From now on, all media responses will be conducted through the legal team." On the day of the Constitutional Court's first hearing for the impeachment trial, President Yoon's side will attend with a legal team including lawyer Bae Bo-yoon. The spokesperson who will act as President Yoon's 'voice' regarding the impeachment trial is former Daegu High Prosecutor General Yoon Gap-geun.

The shift in President Yoon's stance?from consistent silence to actively responding to the scheduled preparatory hearing for the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial?appears to be an effort to alleviate negative public opinion caused by 'stalling' and to actively shape public sentiment through the legal team going forward. The timing also reflects a strategic calculation that it is an opportune moment to expose the opposition party's violent actions following the National Assembly's unprecedented forced vote on the impeachment motion against the acting president.

Recent instability in conservative public opinion is also analyzed to have contributed to President Yoon's change from a defensive posture. Although most polling agencies stopped conducting approval rating surveys for President Yoon after the impeachment motion, a survey conducted by the conservative-leaning online media Dailyan through 'Public Opinion Fairness' on the 23rd and 24th showed President Yoon's approval rating at 30.4%, a 12.9 percentage point increase compared to June 9, before the impeachment motion.

A ruling party official evaluated, "The conservative base is rallying due to resentment against the impeachment," adding, "As the perception that the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, have gone too far spreads, the supporters feeling a sense of crisis are gathering."

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