5 facts about the impeached South Korean president & his controversial wife

Editor’s note: This article was updated on 14 Dec with information about Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.

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Facts about impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol & his wife

On 3 Dec, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shocked the world with his sudden declaration of emergency martial law.

However, members of the South Korean Parliament swiftly voted against the decree, and Yoon reversed course early on 4 Dec.

Through a vote cast by 204 lawmakers to impeach him on Saturday (14 Dec), the 63-year-old will be suspended from presidential duties.

The court is left to decide whether to remove him from office, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will step in as acting president.

However, this isn’t the first controversy that has stained Yoon’s political career.

Here’s a run-down on South Korea’s current leader and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, who’s also involved embroiled in her own share of controversies.

1. He was a top prosecutor before presidential bid

Before running for the presidency in 2022, Yoon served as a public prosecutor.

He famously aided in condemning corrupt presidents, including charging Park Geun-hye for abuse of power in 2016 and indicting Moon Jae-in for fraud and bribery in 2019.

The conservative People Power Party, which was in opposition at the time, saw Yoon’s potential and asked him to become their presidential candidate.

During his campaign, he appealed to young male voters using an anti-feminist platform amid widening gaps in gender equality in the country.

He won the election against his liberal opponent, Lee Jae-myung,  in March 2022 by a margin of less than 1% — the narrowest in South Korean history.

2. The first president to declare martial law in South Korea in 40 years

Last night’s martial law declaration was not the first to have occurred in South Korea.

Since the country was established, martial law has been declared 16 times — the latest being in 1980 by military general Chun Doo-Hwan after dictator Park Chung-hee was assassinated in 1979.

This resulted in the Gwangju Uprising, where at least 191 people were killed.

However, Yoon’s martial law is believed to be the shortest in history.

Parliament members entered the National Assembly building despite being blocked and voted unanimously against it in just over two hours.

The martial law order was lifted just six hours after it was announced.

3. Faced many calls for impeachment

President Yoon had been facing many calls for impeachment from the public due to corruption allegations.

When he announced martial law through a televised statement on 3 Dec, he cited pro-North Korea and “anti-state elements”.

However, it is believed that the move was linked to struggles he faced when pushing his agenda in an opposition-dominated parliament.

Following the brief martial law, civilians and lawmakers are asking him to step down immediately or face impeachment.

The opposition has begun President Yoon’s impeachment proceedings and insurrection charges will also be filed against the president and his top security officials.

5. His wife was allegedly involved in stock manipulation

Like the president, his wife, Kim Kum Hee is also embroiled in several controversies.

Before her husband’s presidential bid, Kim had been accused of manipulating the stock prices of Deutsche Motors, a company which sells imported cars in South Korea.

However, prosecutors concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support these allegations.

Yoon was also accused of abusing his presidential vetos by striking down a bill that would have initiated a special investigation into his wife’s alleged involvement in stock manipulation.

6. His wife was caught accepting Dior handbag as gift

In 2022, Kim was also accused of accepting a US$2,000 (S$2,700) Christian Dior handbag and other luxury items from a pastor, who’s also a family acquaintance.

Footage of the exchange was secretly filmed by the pastor himself and reportedly released on an anti-Yoon YouTube channel.

The pastor also told also reporters that he asked for several favours when he handed the gifts to Kim, but prosecutors said their interactions were purely personal.

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Featured image adapted from The Presidential Office/Reuters, Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji.