South Chungcheong Province, home to the populous Yoon family clan, was once an ardent base of support for President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon, of the Papyeong Yoon clan, was celebrated as the first of his clan to be elected president of South Korea.
But since his impeachment by the National Assembly on Saturday, banners have been hanging in support of his ouster in the same places that once boasted of the "son of Chungcheong."
A substantial portion of the residents in Yoon’s “hometown” appear to have turned their back against the president, after he plunged the nation into political turmoil with the surprise imposition of martial law on Dec. 3. Yoon was born and raised in Seoul, but he has often described Gongju, South Chungcheong Province -- his father's birthplace -- as his own hometown.
The Papyeong Yoon clan, which publicly congratulated Yoon on his presidential election victory in 2022, has not issued a statement regarding his parliamentary impeachment or controversial declaration of martial law. The president also remains under investigation for potential insurrection charges in connection with this political gambit.
Several banners and placards calling for his impeachment can be seen all around the province and where Yoon clan members live. No one from the clan has come forward to defend his actions so far.
Noseong-myeon, a district of Nonsan just south of Gongju, and Tancheon-myeon of Gongju are both areas famous for being populated by Yoons, but banners in opposition to the president are now found in both towns, along with multiple places across the province.
Several residents of Nonseong-myeon have been quoted by local media as calling for Yoon to take legal responsibility for his actions.
A 48-year-old resident surnamed Kim said that "there does not seem to be any reason to declare martial law," while another 65-year-old resident said "it is regrettable" and wondered why he did it.
Merchants at a traditional market in Gongju, which Yoon had visited just a day before declaring martial law, said they felt "betrayed" by the declaration. During his 40-minute visit, Yoon expressed, "Gongju is my father's hometown, and thus my hometown," thanking them for the support they have shown him as a "son of Gongju."
The South and North Chungcheong provinces in the past had a soft spot for the conservative president, despite leaning more toward the opposition in the recent elections and being generally considered a neutral region. In the 2022 presidential election, Yoon edged out his rival Lee Jae-myung by more than 5 percentage points in the two provinces, which is not such a small margin considering Yoon won by a meager 0.73 percentage point.
But it appears Yoon has rapidly squandered that love and goodwill in the region.
Last week's Gallup Korea poll showed that approval for Yoon plunged drastically there from 24 percent to 11 percent in the week since the martial law declaration. The drop was more significant than in any other region in the country.
The Constitutional Court is currently deliberating on Yoon’s impeachment, a decision for which it will reach by June 12, 2025 at the latest. Yoon's presidential powers were suspended after the National Assembly voted to pass his impeachment motion in a 204-85 decision on Saturday.
The ruling for Yoon’s impeachment is widely expected to be reached in a much shorter timeline than the legally mandated maximum of 180 days, as the previous presidential impeachment trials of Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye were concluded in 63 days and 91 days, respectively.
