"Nothing Happened," Says Yoon... Kim Bu-gyeom: "Even Crimes Have Attempted Offenders"

President Yoon Suk-yeol closes his eyes while attending the 5th impeachment trial hearing held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 4th. Photo by Yonhap News

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President Yoon Suk-yeol claimed that "nothing actually happened" regarding the December 3 emergency martial law, while former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum pointed out that "there is always an attempt in various criminal offenses."

Former Prime Minister Kim appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 5th and said, "(President Yoon) himself is from the prosecution. Even if the act was not carried out, he must know well that conspiring and attempting to execute it is clearly a crime."

Regarding why President Yoon kept closing his eyes during the fifth impeachment trial hearing held the day before, he speculated, "He might be internally flustered and regretting, reflecting on the things he has done, thinking 'Why did I do this?'" He added, "When his position is difficult, he turns away or closes his eyes, but it seems that the national dignity of the Republic of Korea is continuously declining. Wouldn't the citizens watching this feel even more frustrated?"

Former Prime Minister Kim also explained why the Democratic Party's approval rating is not overwhelmingly ahead, saying, "There is still a tense political balance between the broad conservatives and broad progressives," and emphasized, "The Democratic Party should be a party that represents the voices of the common people and the middle class, and from this perspective, it must structure and take responsibility for national governance. It needs to return to its original form." He continued, "Since the presidential power caused such a mess and collapsed, it seems the public expected the Democratic Party, as the majority party in the legislature, to manage and resolve this, but I think the Democratic Party may have rushed too much."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Boo-kyum, former Prime Minister. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

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Regarding recent mentions of 'inclusion' by former President Moon Jae-in and former Governor of Gyeongnam Kim Kyung-soo toward Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, former Prime Minister Kim said, "In Korean political history, the side that has allied with more forces has always won." He added, "When a broad coalition that includes all forces walking the river of impeachment is formed, the Republic of Korea can be reborn. Starting with creating a new social consensus on constitutional amendment, we must also rebound the overall economic and industrial stagnation."

When the host asked if he was considering a platform including People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo and former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, he replied, "It is not the stage to mention individuals," and added, "The Moon Jae-in administration was not a broad candlelight coalition government but started only with the Democratic Party government, so it was later criticized for not achieving significant results."

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