Latest news with #YoonAgain
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Digitally altered photo misleads on Trump's response to South Korea presidential election
"As soon as [Lee Jae-myung] was inaugurated as president, 'Yoon Again' was spotted on Trump's cellphone," reads part of a Korean-language Facebook post shared on June 5. "It means President Yoon is still the only leader Trump accepts." A photo attached to the post appears to show US President Donald Trump holding up a phone with "Yoon Again" displayed on its screen; the slogan was adopted by impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol's supporters who believe his removal from office was illegitimate (archived link). The posts were shared a day after Lee won South Korea's snap presidential election by a large margin, ending months of political unrest triggered by Yoon's imposition of martial law and subsequent impeachment (archived link). The same doctored image and claim were widely circulated in Facebook groups backing Yoon and other conservative figures in South Korea, as well as on far-right forum Ilbe. "President Trump will correct the results of South Korea's presidential election as he seems to have watched it closely," read a comment on one of the posts. Another said: "Trump is the only ally to President Yoon still standing, let's put our trust in him." As of June 6, Trump had not called the new South Korean president, with analysts saying any further delay may signal reluctance on the US president's part to engage with the new leader (archived link). The circulating image, however, has been altered. A keyword search found the circulating image was altered from a photo taken by AFP photographer Saul Loeb on May 30 at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, as Trump disembarked from Air Force One. Trump's phone lock screen in fact shows a picture of the president pointing forwards, not a message of support for Yoon. The date displayed on the phone screen also reads "May 30" -- four days before South Korea's presidential election. According to reports by MSNBC and Euronews, the image of Trump's phone screen was widely discussed on social media, with his supporters praising the president and his critics calling him "self-absorbed" (archived here and here). Another photo taken by Loeb also shows Trump's phone screen did not display a message of support for Yoon. AFP has debunked multiple false claims about Trump's supposed opinion on South Korea's impeached president.
AFP
5 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Digitally altered photo misleads on Trump's response to South Korea presidential election
"As soon as [Lee Jae-myung] was inaugurated as president, 'Yoon Again' was spotted on Trump's cellphone," reads part of a Korean-language Facebook post shared on June 5. "It means President Yoon is still the only leader Trump accepts." A photo attached to the post appears to show US President Donald Trump holding up a phone with "Yoon Again" displayed on its screen; the slogan was adopted by impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol's supporters who believe his removal from office was illegitimate (archived link). The posts were shared a day after Lee won South Korea's snap presidential election by a large margin, ending months of political unrest triggered by Yoon's imposition of martial law and subsequent impeachment (archived link). Image Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, captured on June 5, 2025 The same doctored image and claim were widely circulated in Facebook groups backing Yoon and other conservative figures in South Korea, as well as on far-right forum Ilbe. "President Trump will correct the results of South Korea's presidential election as he seems to have watched it closely," read a comment on one of the posts. Another said: "Trump is the only ally to President Yoon still standing, let's put our trust in him." As of June 6, Trump had not called the new South Korean president, with analysts saying any further delay may signal reluctance on the US president's part to engage with the new leader (archived link). The circulating image, however, has been altered. Doctored phone screen A keyword search found the circulating image was altered from a photo taken by AFP photographer Saul Loeb on May 30 at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, as Trump disembarked from Air Force One. Trump's phone lock screen in fact shows a picture of the president pointing forwards, not a message of support for Yoon. The date displayed on the phone screen also reads "May 30" -- four days before South Korea's presidential election. Image Screenshot comparison of the altered image shared on Facebook (left) and the AFP photo (right) According to reports by MSNBC and Euronews, the image of Trump's phone screen was widely discussed on social media, with his supporters praising the president and his critics calling him "self-absorbed" (archived here and here). Another photo taken by Loeb also shows Trump's phone screen did not display a message of support for Yoon. AFP has debunked multiple false claims about Trump's supposed opinion on South Korea's impeached president.
Korea Herald
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Yoon Suk Yeol's ex-lawyers drop ‘Yoon Again' political party idea amid backlash
Two lawyers who represented former President Yoon Suk Yeol in his impeachment trial abruptly canceled a press conference Thursday, just hours after announcing plans to launch a new political party under the slogan 'Yoon Again,' named after the disgraced ex-president. Attorneys Kim Gye-ri and Bae Ui-cheol — who had served on Yoon's impeachment defense team — initially notified the press that they would hold a press briefing Friday in Yeouido, Seoul, to introduce the 'Yoon Again' political party. The plan was announced in a group chatroom on KakaoTalk that Bae had created and used to invite nearly 600 journalists. In his message, Bae wrote, 'The five attorneys from the former president's legal team will hold a press conference related to a new party tomorrow.' However, the chatroom soon drew criticism from reporters who questioned Bae's acquisition and use of their private contact information. Following the backlash, Bae apologized and instead opened a new public-access chatroom. That chatroom, however, was closed within four hours, after it was flooded with images and messages from Yoon's supporters, effectively derailing communication. Before closing the chatroom, Kim and Bae issued a joint statement saying they had decided to postpone the event, citing concerns that the initiative might lead to misunderstandings about the impeached former president's intentions. 'In the ongoing context of a potential early presidential election, officially launching a party may spark speculation that the president is trying to wield influence or pursue political ambitions — which is not what we intended,' they said. They also noted that Yoon had personally asked them to refrain from holding the press event, reportedly saying, 'Now is the time to unite our strength.' Explaining the motivation behind the proposed party, the two said it was aimed at representing the voices of young conservatives and pro-freedom voters whom the ruling People Power Party 'can no longer contain.' Regarding Yoon's involvement, Seok Dong-hyun, another attorney and former member of his legal team, dismissed the claims, stressing that the former president had no role in the initiative. 'He is not in any way participating in or connected to the party's formation,' Seok said, adding that 'legal representation and political activity should be kept entirely separate.' The People Power Party, meanwhile, distanced itself from the move. Jang Ye-chan, a former senior party official and prominent Yoon loyalist, criticized the effort in a Facebook post. 'Creating a new party is a strategic blunder that harms not only the conservative bloc but also former President Yoon himself,' Jang wrote. 'I hope this is not just a political stunt to sell 'Yoon's intentions' using naive young people for someone else's political gain.'
Korea Herald
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Why Yoon Suk Yeol supporters want him back
Though 10 days have passed since former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from power by the Constitutional Court of Korea's ruling to uphold his impeachment, some of his supporters have continued to take to the streets on behalf of the disgraced ex-leader. A new slogan that the supporters have recently adopted is, 'Reset Korea, Yoon Again!' in English. In pro-Yoon protests that took place in front of Yoon's apartment in Seocho-gu on Friday as well as a rally of approximately 10,000 people in Gwanghwamun on Saturday, according to an official police estimate, the protesters were heard shouting the two English slogans while claiming Yoon's impeachment was "fraudulent." In front of Seoul Central District Court, where the first hearing in Yoon's criminal trial on charges of orchestrating an insurrection by declaring martial law Dec. 3 took place on Monday, supporters were also found holding the 'Yoon Again' signs. The 'Reset Korea, Yoon Again' slogan first appeared in a letter written by former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun in prison, revealed by Kim's lawyers at a rally organized by the far-right Liberty Unification Party on April 7. Kim, known to be Yoon's close confidant, is currently detained at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center for his role in Yoon's botched martial law plot. 'We had to witness the heartbreaking collapse of judicial justice in South Korea due to political manipulation and fraudulent impeachment," wrote Kim. "The outrage and disappointment (I felt) were so overwhelming that I couldn't sleep. But this is not the end, it's a new beginning. We have no more ground to retreat to. We will prevail.' Kim then concluded the letter with the English words, 'Yoon Again,' which pro-Yoon protesters since adopted. In front of Seoul Central District Court on Monday morning, 27-year-old pro-Yoon protester Lee Sung-hyun, holding a 'Yoon Again' sign, told The Korea Herald that his continued motivation to speak in favor of the disgraced former president comes from his 'disappointment in Korean society.' 'Public opinion has been shaped to be so unfair toward our one and only President Yoon Suk Yeol. Honestly, I'm so disappointed at how Korean society can be so easily swayed by public opinion and what's being shown in the media,' said Lee. 'Sure, declaring martial law is bad, but we also have to consider what made (Yoon) declare martial law in the first place," according to him. Adding that he took a day off from work to partake in a rally in front of the court on Monday, he stated that he hopes for Yoon's 'swift return to politics to resolve the current political unrest in Korea.' Other than Lee, other pro-Yoon protesters claim that Yoon is eligible to run again for president, despite Korea's single-term presidency provision in the Constitution. According to Article 67 of the Constitution, Korea's presidents cannot run for re-election after serving their term under this rule to prevent the concentration of power in one individual and to avoid the risk of dictatorship, reflecting the country's history of overcoming authoritarian rule. Since Yoon technically did not serve a full term as president due to his impeachment, his supporters have claimed on social media platforms such as X that the single-term presidency rule doesn't apply to Yoon's case. On which grounds such statements are being made, however, are not clearly identified. According to the Constitutional Court Act, a president who is removed from office following an impeachment ruling is prohibited from holding any public office position for a period of five years after the ruling is made. Based on this law, some protesters argue that Yoon can also return to the presidency after the five-year period. However, law professor Hwang Do-ssu of Konkuk University, who specializes in constitutional law, told The Korea Herald expressed doubts about such arguments, saying that it is 'an invalid argument.' 'Since he has already been elected president once, the general interpretation there is that it will be considered to be a second term to serve consecutive terms or to return after a break, regardless of whether (Yoon) completed his term or not,' Hwang stated.
South China Morning Post
12-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
‘Yoon Again': calls for ousted South Korean president's return as political rift deepens
Hundreds of supporters lined the streets near South Korea's presidential residence on Friday evening, chanting 'Yoon Again' and waving South Korean and American flags as former president Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee departed following his impeachment a week earlier. Advertisement 'Fraudulent impeachment! Null and void!' the crowd shouted, as Yoon hugged younger supporters, shook hands and exited the grounds shortly after 5pm local time. He waved to the crowd and raised a clenched fist before leaving. The couple returned to their private home in southern Seoul, exactly one week after the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld Yoon's impeachment over his attempt to impose martial law in December – a move it ruled unconstitutional and based on unsubstantiated claims of election interference by China and North Korea. Yet for Yoon's core supporters – many of them older, deeply conservative and staunchly anti-communist – the ruling only deepened mistrust towards the judiciary, the opposition and even members of his own People Power Party. Supporters of Yoon Suk-yeol hold 'Yoon Again' signs in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday. Photo: Kim Jung-yeop Seventy-year-old retiree Moon Keun-chan echoed a common refrain: that Yoon's downfall was not just a political misstep, but also a setback in the country's battle against communism.
