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Yoon Suk-yeol (second from right) is seen at a screening of a documentary about supposed election-rigging on May 21, 2025, at a theater in Seoul’s Dongdaemun District. On Yoon’s left is the documentary’s writer-director, Lee Young-don, and on his right is the history lecturer Jeon Han-gil. (Lee Seung-wook/Hankyoreh)

Yoon Suk-yeol, Korea’s deposed former president who is being tried on insurrection charges without being jailed, showed up at a movie theater on Wednesday to watch a documentary promoting election fraud theories.

Yoon’s theater visit just 13 days before the presidential election throws a curveball for People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo, who has been rising in the polls as so-called “shy conservatives” repelled by Yoon’s ill-fated declaration of martial law have rallied around Kim. Now that Yoon is out of the PPP, he is resorting to reckless action that could end up hampering his erstwhile allies.

On Aug. 30, 2024, then-President Yoon Suk-yeol appoints Kim Moon-soo to his Cabinet as labor minister. (Yonhap)

Yoon openly seeks to justify his attempted insurrection

On Wednesday morning, Yoon and his security team appeared at the Megabox theater in Seoul’s Dongdaemun neighborhood to watch a screening of the documentary “Election Fraud: God’s Will?” Yoon watched the film alongside far-right YouTuber Jeon Han-gil and the documentary’s writer and director, Lee Young-don.

Yoon reportedly accepted Jeon’s invitation, saying he would “gladly attend if that helps bring about fair elections.”

Considering that alleged election-rigging was one of the immediate motivations for Yoon’s declaration of martial law last December, Yoon is apparently trying to justify his allegedly criminal behavior after he was released from pre-trial detention on the order of Judge Jee Kui-youn, who is overseeing his insurrection trial.

Two days earlier, on Monday, Yoon attended the fourth hearing in his trial. He didn’t comment when reporters asked if he plans to apologize for the martial law declaration.

Yoon Suk-yeol heads into the theater at Megabox Dongdaemun to watch the documentary film “Korean Election Fraud: God’s Will?” on May 21, 2025. (Yonhap)

 PPP’s feeble attempt to distance itself from Yoon

The PPP seemed flummoxed by Yoon’s public appearance. “Yoon is a free man who has already left the party. We don’t have any comment to make about his activities,” the party’s senior spokesperson Shin Dong-uk said.

When a reporter recalled predictions that Yoon leaving the party wouldn’t help Kim Moon-soo’s election prospects, Shin said, “We’re not stooping to that kind of speculation. We’re just focused on doing our work.”

But Kim is likely to face a host of questions about his position on Yoon’s support of the election fraud claims. Kim himself has dabbled in that narrative and has even pledged to abolish Korea’s early voting system.

Now that Yoon has publicly begun to promote the narrative of election fraud, the blame is likely to fall on Jee, the judge who paved the way for Yoon’s release by redefining the way detention length has been calculated throughout the 71-year history of the Criminal Procedure Act.

The Democratic Party has been calling on Jee to step down amid allegations that he was treated to lavish entertainment at a hostess bar.

“Since Jee has canceled Yoon’s detention, he has no way to put Yoon back into custody even if he seeks to justify the motivation for his alleged crimes. The investigating authorities will have to find a way to detain Yoon on charges in a separate case,” said a lawyer who specializes in criminal law.

By Kim Nam-il, staff reporter

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