At CPAC, ex-South Korean prime minister urges White House to support release of former president
GRAPEVINE, Texas — Former South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn received a standing ovation from activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference after calling on the Trump administration and Congress to push for the release of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
“I propose that we adopt the following resolution – number one, the adoption of a resolution calling for the release of President Yoon Suk Yeol,” Mr. Hwang, who launched the conservative Freedom and Innovation Party, said on Friday.
“We call for the adoption of a resolution by the US Congress calling for the immediate release of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached and detained due to the actions of anti-state forces and the CCP,” he said.
In February, a South Korean court sentenced Yoon, who attempted to impose martial law on South Korea in December 2024, to life in prison for insurrection.
Yoon had already been impeached, arrested and removed as president after his brief imposition of martial law sparked massive protests calling for his ouster.
Yoon insisted he did not want to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only intended to inform the public of the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament blocking his agenda.
However, prosecutors said Yoon’s decree was an attempt to strengthen and prolong his rule and accused him of rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal charges.
Mr. Hwang also called for “intervention regarding hacking of cyber systems and election systems.”
“We, based on the extension of the 2023 [Republic of Korea] We view the CCP’s interference in South Korea’s elections as a direct attack on the South Korea-US alliance and call for immediate intervention by the Trump administration,” he said.
Additionally, he called for direct sanctions against countries involved in election fraud, citing the examples of Brazil and Venezuela, “and tough sanctions from the Trump administration against Supreme Court judges and Korea National Election Commission officials involved in election fraud in South Korea, including asset freezing.”
Mr. Hwang later told the Washington Times: “The White House, through its investigation, and Korea through our investigation, have both come to a clear conclusion that there is election fraud in both countries. »
In the United States, election fraud was uncovered in the public sphere by the government, and in Korea, election fraud is uncovered by civic organizations and the Korean people, he said.
Mr. Hwang confirmed that he had not been in direct communication with Mr. Trump regarding election fraud in South Korea, but that Gordon Chang, a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, had spoken about it “multiple times.”
“John Mills, who serves [in the Secretary of State’s office] as [Deputy Assistant Secretary,] “He had been to South Korea before, as part of the international election monitoring team,” he said. “And he investigated this matter and came to the conclusion that there was election fraud in South Korea.”
A White House official told the Washington Times: “While we take no position on this South Korean court case, we remain concerned about reports of politically motivated targeting in South Korea, particularly against religious figures or U.S. businesses.” »
