South Korean demonstrators have adopted American symbols, chants, and music to rally behind embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol, merging local politics with distinctly U.S.-inspired imagery, Breitbart reported.
Protests in support of impeached and arrested Yoon in South Korea have grown dramatically in recent weeks, with conservative demonstrators prominently displaying American flags, wearing red “MAGA”-style hats, and even dancing to the Village People’s “YMCA.”
Rallies have also featured “stop the steal” signs referencing allegedly fraudulent elections. However, authorities say no evidence of election fraud has emerged to date.
Yoon’s arrest on Wednesday marked a major escalation in a political crisis that began in early December when he attempted to impose martial law.
“I declare martial law to protect the Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces,” Yoon said in his controversial speech, “to immediately eradicate the unscrupulous pro-Pyongyang anti-state forces that pillage the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect free constitutional order.”
The decree was short-lived: lawmakers rushed to hold a vote against it, and the armed forces did not fully enforce the order.
In the wake of Yoon’s martial law attempt, his People Power Party members joined the left-wing Democratic Party in backing impeachment. However, the political landscape shifted after the Democratic Party opted to impeach Yoon’s successor, interim President Han Duck-soo, while also pursuing criminal charges against Yoon for insurrection and abuse of power.
On Wednesday, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) finally took Yoon into custody, despite an earlier failed attempt blocked by the Presidential Security Service. Nearly 9,000 supporters gathered near the presidential residence to oppose his arrest, while only 850 people reportedly rallied in favor of proceeding with legal action.
Protest organizers say the U.S.-themed imagery is intended to highlight what they perceive as threats of “anti-American communist forces” driving the effort to remove Yoon from office. Videos online show demonstrators singing the “Star-Spangled Banner,” carrying signs featuring President-elect Donald Trump, and brandishing large American flags.
Yoon, the first sitting South Korean president ever arrested, published a pre-recorded video statement declaring he had allowed the arrest to prevent “bloodshed.”
He also expressed frustration with the CIO: “Seeing warrants being issued by agencies without investigative authority … I cannot help but feel regretful.” His legal team states that Yoon did not respond to investigators’ questions because the CIO “does not have jurisdiction over insurrection charges,” but insists he remains prepared to cooperate through written statements.