MBC sheds light on the process of former President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment through the eyes of foreign reporters in "The Raphael Report: Why Yoon Suk-yeol?"

A special documentary titled "The Raphael Report: Why Yoon Suk-yeol?" will air today (5th). This broadcast will focus on the December 3 emergency martial law situation viewed through the perspective of foreign correspondent Raphael Rashid and provide an in-depth analysis of the behind-the-scenes events leading to the impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol.

# Winter in Seoul, frozen Korean democracy

"Dear citizens, I declare a state of emergency to eradicate the shameless anti-state forces and to protect the free constitutional order." - From Yoon Suk-yeol's emergency address on December 3, 2024

Raphael Rashid, a British freelance journalist who contributes to major international media outlets such as The Guardian, Sunday Times, and The New York Times, has lived in Korea for 14 years. While Korea appeared to him as a sophisticated and vibrant country due to the success of K-culture, his views abruptly changed on December 3 last year. "Emergency martial law." A word that he thought was the title of a movie swiftly overturned Korea, a country known as the land of candles and a model for democracy.

To confirm the situation at that time, Raphael accessed social media and discovered the hashtag '#ToTheNationalAssembly' and immediately headed there. Military helicopters flew towards the National Assembly, troops broke windows to enter, and citizens stood in front of the soldiers with their guns. In the urgent circumstances following the proclamation of martial law, Raphael’s only question was, "What kind of person is Yoon Suk-yeol, who declared martial law?" After urgently reporting on Korea's emergency martial law situation for foreign media, Raphael began interviewing those who knew Yoon Suk-yeol well to uncover his true nature. From a prosecutor investigating state affairs to the President of Korea, and eventually reducing himself to the suspect of treason, Yoon Suk-yeol. "The Raphael Report: Why Yoon Suk-yeol?" tracks Yoon's past actions through the eyes of a foreign correspondent, ultimately tracing the fundamental reasons that led to his downfall.

# "Do you know Yoon Suk-yeol?"

Foreign correspondents gathered in one place: Jin McKenzie from the BBC, Michelle Lee from The Washington Post, Steven Borowik from Nikkei Asia, and Raphael. They are veteran reporters who have covered major events in Korea for a long time and have interacted with one another. How do they view Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law?

Michelle Lee, who has interviewed him directly, speculated that Yoon Suk-yeol would have declared martial law due to the so-called "Myung-taek-gun Gate." Steven Borowik analyzed that "he might have wanted to prevent an investigation into his wife, Kim Keon-hee." Jin McKenzie pointed out Yoon's authoritarian personality based on stories from those around him. What is the image of Yoon Suk-yeol, the former President of Korea, as confirmed through the reporters’ investigations?

# Is Korea the stage for a shamanic ritual?

What was most incomprehensible to foreign correspondents was the ongoing "shamanism controversy." The recent emergency martial law situation was no exception. Upon receiving reports of shamans simultaneously holding a ritual on the same day at the five major mountains nationwide, Raphael went to visit Gyeryongsan, one of the locations. During this process, Raphael was able to meet a shaman who claimed to have been providing divination for Kim Keon-hee long ago. One day before their wedding, Kim Keon-hee brought the fortune of a man known as a "prosecutor." The shaman claimed to have discovered something astonishing in that fortune... What was the story that surprised Raphael? In addition, the report will delve into the shamanic controversies surrounding Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee, including the discovery of a "dragon" talisman at the Yongsan Presidential Office and the hiring of a diviner as an administrative officer.

# A foretold catastrophe, why Yoon Suk-yeol?

Raphael still has unresolved questions: "Why did Yoon Suk-yeol declare martial law?" As soon as martial law was proclaimed, the National Assembly quickly passed a resolution demanding the annulment of the martial law, and Yoon Suk-yeol also declared the lifting of martial law six hours later. It was a natural outcome that anyone could have predicted, given that Korea is a developed democratic nation. Yet, why did Yoon Suk-yeol decide to take such a political gamble? In search of clues to this mystery, Raphael interviewed various figures, including fellow prosecutors who had observed Yoon Suk-yeol for a long time, political figures, journalists, and veterans from the conservative faction. What conclusion did Raphael reach about the true reason behind Yoon's declaration of martial law?

"The Raphael Report: Why Yoon Suk-yeol?" follows foreign correspondent Raphael Rashid as he tracks Yoon Suk-yeol's actions and the circumstances leading to the impeachment from the declaration of emergency martial law on December 3 until the impeachment itself. It will air tonight at 9:40 p.m.

[Photo] Provided by MBC.

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