Park Jie-won Criticizes President Yoon: "Shifting Blame to Subordinates... Worse Than a South American Drug Gang Member"

Published 23 Jan.2025 09:34(KST)

"President Yoon Appears to Be Providing Concealment Guidelines Through His Testimony"

Park Jie-won, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized President Yoon Sukyeol regarding the conflicting testimonies between President Yoon and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun over the drafting responsibility for Martial Law Proclamation No. 1 of December 3. Park stated, "President Yoon is shifting responsibility onto his subordinates," adding, "This is despicable. He is worse than a South American drug gang member."

On January 23, during an appearance on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' Park noted, "During the 2017 impeachment, former President Park Geun-hye said, 'I instructed Choi Soon-sil,' and 'I take responsibility.' That is the language of a president," he pointed out.

Later that afternoon, former Minister Kim Yong-hyun is scheduled to appear as the first witness in President Yoon's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court. President Yoon's side explained that Martial Law Proclamation No. 1, which restricted parliamentary activities, was "a mistake by former Minister Kim, who copied a previous template verbatim." However, former Minister Kim's side stated, "There seems to be a misunderstanding. Of course, President Yoon reviewed it."

President Yoon Sukyeol appeared at the third impeachment trial hearing held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 21st, personally presenting his defense from the respondent's seat. Photo by Yonhap News Agency, Constitutional Court

In response, Park said, "Former Minister Kim will not cover for President Yoon." He continued, "Whether or not he takes on the responsibility for insurrection is a decision for former Minister Kim, but the public and the Constitutional Court justices have already determined that the ringleader of the rebellion is Yoon Sukyeol. If you must bear responsibility, then you must. If you take the blame for insurrection and it becomes an issue, not only yourself but your descendants will be treated like the children of Lee Wan-yong for generations to come."

He further emphasized, "No matter how much the two argue, the ringleader of the rebellion is not former Minister Kim, but President Yoon. Having martial law troops break into the National Assembly by smashing windows, and infiltrating the National Election Commission, a constitutional institution, are themselves acts of insurrection." Park added, "The Constitutional Court is only judging how the Constitution was usurped, but President Yoon is trying to establish facts in preparation for a criminal trial. In my view, through his testimony at the Constitutional Court, President Yoon is providing his subordinates with investigative guidelines to conceal and fabricate issues that may arise in a future criminal trial."