Read a version of this story in Korean
North Korean trade officials stationed in China were shocked when they heard that South Korean police arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Wednesday, two such officials told Radio Free Asia.
“It’s just so astonishing that the president of a country could be arrested,” an official based in Shenyang told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
Yoon, who had been impeached last month by the National Assembly, was arrested at around 10:30 a.m. after police and corruption investigation officers stormed his residential compound.
He faces insurrection charges after a failed attempt to impose martial law last month.
Yoon had said military rule was necessary to safeguard South Korea “from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and eliminate anti-state elements.”
But many said the claims were exaggerated and meant as a political tool targeting the opposition over disagreements in domestic issues.
North Korea dispatches trade officials to other countries to manage imports and exports with the goal of generating desperately needed foreign currency for the cash-strapped regime.
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The trade official in Shenyang said that the news of Yoon’s arrest was the first topic of discussion during the morning meeting of all the North Korean trade officials stationed in the city.
“I couldn’t help but think about whether something like the arrest of the highest leader could actually happen in Pyongyang,” he said.
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RFA previously reported that after Yoon declared martial law on Dec. 3, and the South Korean National Assembly voted to end it, trade officials in China were surprised that the the legislative body had the power to nullify the president’s orders.
“I was really surprised when the South Korean president declared martial law and was impeached in December, but today, when I saw the South Korean news about his arrest, I couldn’t believe it,” another official stationed in Dandong, which lies across the Yalu River border from North Korea’s Sinuiju, told RFA Korean.
He said he discussed the news with his colleagues over lunch, and one of them made the point that because South Korea is a democracy, it’s possible for a sitting president to be arrested for violating the constitution.
“Among the officials stationed overseas, including in China, some don’t openly speak about it, but they are aware of the world’s realities,” he said. “They believe North Korea’s dynastic politics surpass even Nazi Germany’s Hitler, and they think that the leadership in Pyongyang could eventually collapse.”
Regarding the arrest, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said that the U.S. government was in support of the South Korean people.
“We reaffirm our shared commitment to the rule of law, and we appreciate all efforts made by the Republic of Korea and its citizens to act in accordance with its Constitution.”
The spokesperson said that the U.S. would continue to work with Acting President Choi Sang-mok and expressed confidence in the “enduring strength” of the U.S.-South Korean Alliance.
Translated by RFA Korean. Edited by Eugene Whong.