Yoon Suk-yeol stood at the entrance of the special investigation team’s office, arriving one minute later than the scheduled time. Though dressed sharply in a suit, his serious expression betrayed his inner turmoil. That sixty-second delay was a subtle act of defiance—a faint resistance against the probing investigation.
Outside the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, cameras and reporters focused intently on the former president. At 9:01 a.m. on July 5th, Yoon arrived a minute past the appointed hour and remained silent in response to reporters’ questions. This marked his second visit within a week to face interrogation by the special team investigating charges of rebellion.
展开剩余91%The investigation list kept growing, covering accusations of abuse of power, obstruction of official duties, rebellion, and most severely, crimes of treason. Each charge alone could reshape South Korea’s political history, and Yoon faced the daunting possibility of being implicated in all of them simultaneously.
A military audio recording has torn open what might be the most dangerous constitutional crisis in Korean history. The special investigation team uncovered breakthrough evidence indicating that in October 2024, then-President Yoon personally ordered a covert drone operation against North Korea.
The recording clearly conveyed the command: “This order comes directly from President Yoon,” instructing the drones to “deliberately expose their positions” and to distribute anti-North Korean leaflets. The operation’s aim was provocatively designed to trigger a military response from Pyongyang.
More damning was an added directive: “This must be carried out without the knowledge of the Ministry of Defense or the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” This confirmed the operation completely bypassed the official military chain of command, turning the presidential office into a secretive tool of unilateral political maneuvering.
Another recording revealed an even more shocking scene: after North Korea publicly condemned the drone intrusion, Yoon and the defense minister were captured “applauding excitedly” inside the presidential office. One commander reportedly ordered: “Execute it once more!”
Beneath this perilous military gamble lies a cold political calculation. The investigation revealed Yoon had been secretly planning to impose martial law nationwide but struggled to find a legitimate pretext.
Following the October 2024 drone incident, Yoon suddenly declared a “high alert” status across the country in November and secretly deployed troops in several cities. Had North Korea escalated in retaliation, Yoon’s plan would have culminated with the martial law declaration set for December 3rd.
Even more chilling are the physical evidence and chain of custody. An audit by the Ministry of Defense discovered two reconnaissance drones mysteriously “lost contact” near the border at the same time, with military records showing unclear details. Park Seon-won, a staffer on the National Assembly’s intelligence committee, bluntly stated: “We cannot rule out that these drones crashed in North Korea and were disguised as training losses.”
South Korean media posed a soul-searching question: “When the VIP (the presidential code name) applauded North Korea’s fury, which country were they really protecting?” The harsh and unmistakable answer is they protected not national security but a reckless personal power gamble.
As the special investigation team zeroes in on Yoon Suk-yeol, his wife Kim Keon-hee is also caught in the storm. Police investigations revealed that when Yoon was arrested on January 15, Kim angrily confronted the presidential security detail: “What use is a gun? It’s meant to stop things like this!”
More alarmingly, Kim allegedly threatened, “I want to shoot Lee Jae-myung to death.” In a moment of emotional breakdown, she expressed a desire to kill the leader of the Democratic Party and then take her own life.
The presidential office vehemently denied the allegations as “fabrications,” but police cited testimonies in their March 17 arrest request. At least one member of the security team mentioned the incident in an internal report.
In swift response, the Lee Jae-myung administration established a special investigation team dedicated to Kim Keon-hee. The investigation focuses on 16 allegations, including stock manipulation, receiving luxury handbags, and election interference. Although the bill passed parliament four times, Yoon’s government vetoed it each time.
On June 10, President Lee Jae-myung chaired a cabinet meeting where two special investigation laws were passed. The two teams are tasked with probing Yoon’s emergency martial law declaration and Kim’s suspected stock market manipulations.
Lee’s crackdown won overwhelming support in the National Assembly. On June 5, the assembly passed the “Rebellion Special Investigation Act,” “Kim Keon-hee Special Investigation Act,” and “Private Soldier Choi Special Investigation Act” with a rare vote tally of 194 in favor and only 3 opposed.
Contrasting sharply with his predecessor Moon Jae-in, Lee Jae-myung has shown a firmer resolve in political reckoning. Moon once pardoned former president Park Geun-hye amid controversy, signaling a gesture of political reconciliation, whereas Lee chose a path of thorough accountability.
Lee’s political advantage lies in the current “ruling party dominant” legislature, where his Democratic Party holds a commanding majority. This power balance allows him to advance investigations against the former government with relatively little obstruction.
Yoon’s relationship with Moon was once that of mentor and protégé. After Moon’s rise to power in 2017, Yoon was rapidly promoted from a regular prosecutor to Prosecutor General in what was described as a “rocket-speed ascent.”
Moon valued Yoon’s reputation as a tough, uncompromising enforcer, entrusting him with leading investigations into corruption cases involving Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak. However, this political honeymoon abruptly ended in 2020 when the two clashed over prosecutorial reforms, leading to a complete rupture.
After winning the presidency in 2022, Yoon immediately initiated purges against Moon’s faction. The former mentor and protégé transformed into political adversaries, a striking confirmation of South Korea’s infamous “Blue House curse.”
Now Yoon himself is engulfed in a vortex of impeachment, removal motions, and investigations. With audio evidence surfacing, his legal predicament has worsened rapidly. Article 92 of the Korean Criminal Code—“incitement to foreign aggression”—looms over him like a sword, carrying penalties up to death or life imprisonment.
The National Assembly responded with rare swiftness to this constitutional crisis. On July 3, amendments to the martial law act were rapidly passed, explicitly forbidding military or police interference in parliamentary sessions and requiring detailed records when martial law is declared by the president.
This move directly targets Yoon’s December martial law attempt, when military and police forces forcibly entered the National Assembly, effectively closing the door on any future president attempting to replicate such conspiracies.
The special investigation team has shifted its focus squarely onto the “crime of treason” charge. On July 5, Yoon appeared for his second summons by the special team, facing triple accusations of abuse of power, rebellion, and treason.
The political balance of power has dramatically shifted. Current president Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating has soared to 60%, with his “national unity” agenda sharply contrasting Yoon’s confrontational policies.
Inside the special investigation office, investigators pressed play on a recording, and Yoon’s voice echoed through the room: “Execute it once more!” That command has become the most perilous footnote in his political career. With the martial law act amendments passed in record time, the door on military martial law in South Korean politics has firmly closed.
The curse of the Blue House power has struck again. From Moon Jae-in’s “favorite” protege to the first former president in Korean constitutional history under investigation for rebellion, Yoon’s downfall mirrors the vicious cycle of political revenge in South Korea. As Lee Jae-myung stands atop the summit of power surveying his predecessor’s ruins, one wonders whether he foresees that Korea’s endless political vendettas will one day turn toward new protagonists.
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