President's Office in Mourning over Yoon's Arrest... Busy Strengthening Internal Unity

About 40 Administrative Officers Gathered at the Residence the Previous Day
Some Aides Moved to Tears

President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was arrested by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency on charges of leading an insurrection, is moving to Seoul Detention Center after completing his investigation at the agency in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the 15th. Yonhap News

On the 16th, the first day after the execution of the arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential office was filled with a somber atmosphere. Chief Presidential Secretary Jeong Jin-seok held the usual morning senior secretaries meeting (Silsubi) and reportedly urged the staff to fulfill their respective duties despite the leadership vacuum.

According to the presidential office, the day before, President Yoon met with members of the People Power Party at his residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, just before the arrest, to give his final instructions. With a calm expression, President Yoon mentioned the recent rise in party approval ratings and said, "If we do not strongly confront the pro-North leftist forces, we will not be able to recreate the administration," urging the staff to actively counter the opposition party's attacks.

In particular, President Yoon said, "I have no further goals since I have already served as president. But I realized that I cannot do more in this state," and repeatedly asked the party to lead well. One attendee said, "President Yoon asked us to work hard for the reestablishment of the administration."

Earlier, upon news of President Yoon's imminent arrest, about 40 administrative officers from the presidential office gathered at the residence in the early morning of the previous day. However, senior secretaries did not attend this gathering. Some aides were moved to tears by President Yoon’s composed demeanor. One attendee recalled that when they hurried to meet President Yoon at the residence, he was instead comforting the aides. President Yoon, who usually cherished his pet dog, said, "Let's see Tori (the pet dog) once before leaving," and then went to the second floor of the living room to greet First Lady Kim Geon-hee.

Despite facing the worst situation of a leadership vacuum, the presidential office is striving to steady the atmosphere. Chief Secretary Jeong held an emergency senior secretaries meeting immediately after President Yoon’s arrest and stated, "In a situation where domestic and international uncertainties are increasing, we will prioritize national security and the safety of the people." One aide said, "I was choked up seeing President Yoon’s image in the public video just before the arrest," adding, "Although the aides feel a great sense of loss, we will do our best to minimize confusion and fulfill our roles."

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