South Korea’s suspended president Yoon Suk-yeol attempted to cripple the country’s media outlets by cutting off their power and water supply during his failed martial law bid, according to investigators.
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The latest allegation contradicts the impeached leader’s previous assertions that his short-lived decree was meant to expose the “dictatorship” of an opposition-controlled parliament.
A leaked 101-page indictment prepared by prosecutors states that Yoon instructed his home minister, Lee Sang-min, to “blockade” and cut off electricity and water supply to non-compliant newspapers, including the Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang, as well as broadcasters MBC and JTBC.
The directive was reportedly issued at midnight on December 3, roughly 1½ hours after Yoon declared martial law.
“This is a serious condemnation of Yoon, as the document suggests he sought to silence what he perceived as pro-opposition media while enforcing martial law,” political scientist Lee Jun-han from Incheon National University told This Week in Asia. “According to this document, Yoon allegedly aimed to establish a dictatorship by subjugating not only the National Assembly but also the media.”
Yoon’s home minister reportedly relayed the instruction to Heo Seok-gon, head of the National Fire Agency, who ultimately did not act on it, stating at a National Assembly hearing last month that such actions were beyond his agency’s jurisdiction.