Citizens left frustrated after Yoon's fourth public address

Citizens watch President Yoon Suk Yeol’s public address on TV at Seoul Station, Thursday morning. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol's fourth emergency public address on Thursday ignited widespread disappointment and anger, as citizens accused him of sidestepping accountability and justifying his controversial actions.

While many had anticipated an apology for the chaos caused by the Dec. 3 martial law declaration or a statement on his future as president, Yoon spent his 30-minute speech defending the necessity of imposing martial law, leaving most citizens bewildered and dismayed.

Kim Jin-hyuk, a 43-year-old office worker from Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, criticized the president's reasoning, calling it fundamentally flawed.

"Yoon's logic is akin to saying, 'I had no choice but to assault you because I didn't like you. My violence was justified based on my standards, so this was a high-level political act. I am the state,'" Kim said. "The president argued that a coup lasting just two hours doesn't count as one and that temporarily deploying a small number of troops isn't a coup. But even a coup lasting two seconds is still a coup."

Lee, a 25-year-old university student in Seoul, echoed similar frustrations.

"The address left me doubting whether the president has the will or the capacity to understand the fear and anxiety people felt during the declaration of martial law," she said. "If Yoon truly believed his excuse of 'achieving political goals' could mitigate the crisis caused by martial law, I think it reflects a major misjudgment as a leader."

Government officials and reporters watch President Yoon Suk Yeol’s public address on TV in the press room of the Government Complex Sejong, Thursday morning. Yonhap

Reactions on social media were also equally scathing, with outraged online users propelling phrases like "delusional disorder," "paranoia" and "psychiatric hospital" to the top of the trending list on major social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.

"What kind of information does he consume to make such statements?" one user wrote on X after the address, while another remarked, "It felt like watching a far-right YouTuber's broadcast. I fear he's preparing to incite chaos through his far-right supporters as a last resort."

The backlash extended to the National Police Agency's online bulletin board, which was inundated with complaints demanding Yoon's arrest.

Calling the current situation "bleak and heartbreaking," Jun, a 25-year-old intern working in Seoul, said, "I never imagined that the typical rhetoric of far-right YouTubers would come out of the mouth of a national leader. I got so angry while watching that I turned my device off."

Cho Jin-hee, a 72-year-old homemaker from Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, also bluntly expressed her anger, particularly criticizing Yoon's false claim of distancing himself from state affairs last week.

"We clearly need to get rid of someone (as president) who isn't in a normal state of mind. Impeachment is the only answer," she said.

The documentary "First Lady," which explores controversies surrounding Korea's first lady Kim Keon Hee, is screened at a movie theater in Seoul, Thursday, the day of its premiere. Amid the ongoing martial law fiasco, theaters showing the film reported sold-out screenings. Yonhap

"I don't know whether to call him naive or go further and call him a fool," added another housewife in her 50s, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "With (Thursday's) address, it seems inevitable that he will face either impeachment or prison for his failure to take responsibility."

While criticism of Yoon was widespread, some citizens pointed fingers at the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, blaming it for contributing to the crisis.

"The president surely did wrong, but I believe the opposition party is partially to blame," a 51-year-old citizen said, on the condition of anonymity. "They protected a problematic party leader and disrupted the president to the point he couldn't do anything. While the president seems unlikely to avoid prison for his wrongdoings, the opposition's problems must also be addressed."

A Seoul-based office worker in his 50s echoed this sentiment, noting that Yoon's address came off as expressing anger toward the opposition's parliamentary actions.

"But his reasoning for martial law wasn't convincing," the office worker said. "The address seemed more like the groundwork for a future legal defense."