South Korea: Yoon's Legal Team Halts Plans for Political Party Supporting Ousted President

Seoul, April 17 (NationPress) A proposal to establish a new political party backing former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been temporarily shelved at his own request, according to the ousted president's legal representatives on Thursday.

Attorneys Kim Gye-ri and Bae Ui-cheol, who have been advocating for Yoon since his impeachment, had initially intended to announce the party titled "Yoon Again" during a press conference scheduled for Friday. However, they called it off, citing concerns over potential "misunderstanding" that could arise in the lead-up to the June 3 presidential election.

"Given the upcoming presidential election, the introduction of a new party might create various misconceptions about Yoon's intentions or influence, so we concluded that it would be inappropriate to formalize it through a press event," the lawyers explained.

They further noted that Yoon himself had advised against the initiative, stating that it was time to unite as one. Seok Dong-hyeon, another attorney representing Yoon, commented that the former President was not involved in the party formation efforts, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

South Korea is set to hold a presidential election in June following Yoon's removal from office on April 4, when the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment due to his brief imposition of martial law.

Yoon, who made a remarkable rise from leading prosecutor to the presidency in approximately three years, became the second President in the nation to be formally ousted, with his unexpected martial law attempt causing significant unrest and escalating political division.

Following the ruling, Yoon, aged 64, mirrors the fate of former President Park Geun-hye, who was removed in 2017 after the Constitutional Court affirmed her impeachment over a corruption scandal.

Prior to becoming president, Yoon began his professional journey as a prosecutor in 1994, advancing to head an investigation team into Park's corruption scandal, which ultimately led to her downfall and imprisonment.

In 2019, he was appointed as the nation's chief prosecutor during Moon Jae-in's presidency but experienced conflicts with the administration while investigating family members of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.

Faced with increasing pressure from Moon's administration, Yoon resigned from his position in 2021, subsequently entering politics and securing the presidential election victory in 2022 as the candidate for the conservative People Power Party.

Yoon's presidency was marked by strife with a non-cooperative National Assembly controlled by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP). He exercised his presidential veto against 25 bills passed by the Assembly.

In early December, tensions with the DP escalated dramatically as the opposition introduced motions to impeach the country's leading auditor and a senior prosecutor, prompting Yoon to declare martial law on December 3, which ultimately led to his downfall.