Kwon Young-se: Yoon’s resignation not an option, warned about YouTube

People Power Party emergency committee chair Kwon Young-se dismissed speculation on February 17 that President Yoon Suk Yeol might step down before the Constitutional Court rules on his impeachment, calling it “unrealistic” and “not the right course of action.”

At a press conference hosted by the Kwanhun Club at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Kwon said, “Even if we put aside the legal question of whether resignation is possible during an impeachment trial, stepping down wouldn’t necessarily resolve all issues. I don’t believe it’s the right move.”

Addressing the controversial December 3 emergency martial law proposal, Kwon was critical, calling it “clearly a mistake” and “an excessive measure.” He added, “Even considering the Democratic Party’s actions, declaring martial law was not the right response.” He also took issue with the decision to deploy troops to the National Assembly, saying, “Given that the legislature has the authority to lift martial law, restricting parliamentary activities was problematic.”

During the discussion, Kwon also addressed concerns over President Yoon’s growing reliance on YouTube over traditional media. “The president has said legacy media is too biased and that people should watch well-organized content on YouTube, but we must be cautious,” Kwon said. Citing concerns about YouTube’s algorithm reinforcing biases, he added, “I’ve repeatedly emphasized this issue to the president and even advised him to follow traditional media.”

Meanwhile, 36 ruling party lawmakers visited the Constitutional Court to protest its handling of the impeachment case, arguing, “Even petty criminals don’t have their cases rushed like this. The court seems to have already decided and is pushing ahead without due process.”


Hye-Ryung Choi herstory@donga.com