Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol builds legal team of allies, former co-workers

SEOUL – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol,

impeached for his decision to briefly impose martial law,

is building a legal team to represent him at the Constitutional Court that will decide his political fate, as well as in looming criminal investigations.

Here are some members of the ex-prosecutor’s legal team, drawn from allies and friends from former workplaces.

Bae Bo-yoon

Mr Bae, a lawyer and former spokesman of the Constitutional Court, is defending Mr Yoon as the court decides whether to remove him from office or restore his presidential powers.

Having worked at the court for 26 years, Mr Bae was the research director and spokesman during ousted former South Korean president Park Geun-hye’s impeachment trial between December 2016 and March 2017.

In a 2018 interview, he told the Chosun Ilbo daily that he disagreed with the court’s decision in the former South Korean president’s case, saying Parliament’s impeachment motion was flawed, and its arguments confused legal responsibility with public confidence.

Mr Bae also expressed regret in 2019 for not airing his views about her impeachment trial at the time, and instead “playing the role of a simple reporter” as a spokesman.

Yoon Kap-keun

He attended the first Constitutional Court hearing of the impeachment trial on Dec 27 as a representative of the South Korean President and is also set to function as the media liaison.

He worked at the High Prosecutors’ Office in the south-eastern city of Daegu around 2015, where Mr Yoon was demoted to a rank-and-file prosecutor after clashing with then South Korean president Park.

He built a successful career as a prosecutor, cracking down on gangs, before being mired in a couple of bribery scandals.

He entered politics in 2019, but lost a parliamentary bid a year later as well as the ruling party’s primary for the 2024 general election.

Seok Dong-hyeon

Mr Seok, who has spoken to the media on Mr Yoon’s behalf and helped build the legal team in an unofficial capacity, called the martial law order an “extreme drug prescription to stop the opposition’s abuse of power”.

The former prosecutor is a lifelong friend of Mr Yoon, attending the prestigious Seoul National University before they worked together as prosecutors early in their careers.

During

Mr Yoon’s presidential run in 2021,

Mr Seok said he would become an exceptional leader who was humble but good at communicating with people.

Mr Seok has said he also advised Mr Yoon to join the conservative People Power Party when he was hesitant about entering politics.

He has been vocal in his support of Mr Yoon on social media, saying on Facebook that though the declaration may have been a shock to the public, it did not constitute insurrection. REUTERS