People holding US and South Korean flags and signs reading “No to impeachment; Imprison Lee Jae-myung” take part in a rally organized by the right-wing organization Headquarters for the Movement to Rectify the Republic of Korea in Seoul’s Jongno neighborhood on Dec. 14, 2024. (Yonhap)
When Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made a public statement on Dec. 12, one of the reasons he gave for declaring martial law on Dec. 3 — in what investigators suspect may amount to orchestrating an insurrection — was claims about election rigging that have been raised in some parts of the conservative establishment.Why would Yoon have done something as rash as declaring martial law because of suspicions about election rigging that have been debunked multiple times by Korean courts?Experts say that Yoon likely bought into the conspiracy theories raised by far-right YouTubers who called for martial law while playing up claims of election fraud. Indeed, Yoon has cultivated close relationships with far-right YouTubers, inviting them to his presidential inauguration, managing them via his presidential office and even giving them key posts in the government.The link between Yoon and the far-right corner of YouTube became apparent at his inauguration. Around 30 far-right YouTubers like Lee Bong-kyu and Jun Kwang-hoon — who have made nearly delusional claims about election rigging, as well as actively defending Yoon since the martial law fiasco — and people connected with their channels were invited to the inauguration at the National Assembly on May 10, 2022.Figures from Lee Bong-kyu TV, Yoo Jae-il, Current Events Warehouse, Current Events Fighter, You Know TV, JJakjji (Buddy) TV, Korea Patriotism Patrol Team, Garo Sero Institute (also known as HoverLab), Young’s Liberty Union and Park Wan-seok for Justice (“Perfect Stone”) attended the inauguration with invitations from Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon-hee.
