South Korea’s Yoon used decoys for work, police head says amid hangover allegations

South Korea’s embattled President Yoon Suk-yeol allegedly used decoy convoys to create the appearance he was reporting to work at regular hours, according to a police official. The revelation, amid a whistle-blower’s allegations that he had arrived late to work 10 times in 21 working days, has fuelled allegations Yoon was mostly recovering from hangovers, with critics noting the leader’s love for alcohol. Facing intense scrutiny from opposition lawmakers on Thursday, acting National Police Agency head Lee Ho-young admitted to the existence of decoy tactics, referred to by the force as “fake discharge”. Traffic surveillance footage reportedly showed a convoy of vehicles leaving the president’s residence past 1pm on November 29. News outlets alleged that a decoy escort left the residence at 9am, followed hours later by another convoy believed to be carrying Yoon. Lawmaker Yoon Kun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea revealed to the National Assembly’s administration committee on Friday that the president arrived late to work 10 times in the 21 working days last month. Questioned about the allegations, Lee responded cautiously, saying: “As we are mainly in charge of controlling traffic to ensure presidential convoys pass safely and smoothly, it’s difficult for us to confirm who is actually being transported.” However, he acknowledged the use of the coded term, “fake discharge”, to describe such practices. Yoon has openly displayed his fondness for alcohol. In May, he distributed beer to participants at a workshop of his People Power Party after their parliamentary election defeat in April, quipping: “You decided not to even put beer on the table, but today, I will take responsibility for this”, before personally serving the brew to attendees. Earlier this month, while visiting Yeongcheon Market in Seoul, Yoon stopped at a seafood stall and remarked: “All I need is a bottle of soju here”, referring to the popular clear, distilled Korean alcohol. A satirical sketch by YTN featuring this scene was later removed from the broadcaster’s website, prompting protests from journalist unions which claimed it was a violation of press freedom. Last November, Yoon hosted a dinner with the heads of South Korea’s five largest conglomerates, including Samsung, SK and Hyundai. Reports from the event described guests overwhelmed by “bombshell cocktails”, a mix of beer and soju, with one business leader allegedly too inebriated to walk and needing to be carried out by an assistant. “I’ve heard he drinks almost every night, until the early hours of the morning,” former environment minister Yoon Yeo-joon said during a CBS radio news show on Thursday. The long-time politician recently predicted the Yoon administration would not survive until spring, asserting: “It has become clear that it is incapable of governing effectively.” The president faces mounting calls for impeachment following his December 3 declaration of martial law, widely seen as a desperate move to retain power despite plummeting approval ratings. Critics have questioned whether Yoon’s drinking habits impaired his ability to perform his duties. Conservative commentator Jeong Kyu-jae told a local radio news programme on Monday: “I suspect President Yoon might be unable to fulfil his responsibilities due to excessive alcohol consumption.” Since the martial law decree, Yoon has remained incommunicado at his official residence. A second impeachment attempt by opposition parties is expected to pass on Saturday, with support from ruling party lawmakers increasingly likely. Jeong partially attributed the martial law decree to what he described as a growing belief among conservatives in conspiracy theories. Yoon is known to favour far-right YouTube channels that propagate unsubstantiated claims of election fraud by his opponents, including alleged interference by North Korea. Defending his actions, Yoon appeared on national television Thursday to reiterate claims that the April parliamentary election results were manipulated via hacking by Pyongyang. He explained that this suspicion prompted him to deploy military anti-espionage agents to investigate the National Election Commission (NEC). NEC head Roh Tae-ak, testifying before the National Assembly on Friday, dismissed the allegations: “I was flabbergasted by the claim that our servers were hacked. Such a scenario is not feasible within our system.” NEC Secretary General Kim Yong-bin added: “No evidence of hacking has been found after thorough investigation.”

South Korea’s Yoon used decoys for work, police head says amid hangover allegations

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}New details surface at opposition inquiry as the beleaguered president braces for a second impeachment bid

New details surface at opposition inquiry as the beleaguered president braces for a second impeachment bid