Yoon called foreign leaders ‘leftist populists,’ revealing troubling diplomatic mindset

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol testifies during the trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo over last year's martial law fiasco at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Seoul Central District Court

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol described several leaders he met at last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Group of 20 (G20) summits as “leftist populists” and suggested that such multilateral gatherings should be attended by the prime minister rather than the president, according to testimony presented in court earlier this week.

Yoon made the comments on Wednesday when he appeared as a witness in the trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who faces charges related to Yoon's botched declaration of martial law.

During the hearing, prosecutors asked Yoon whether he had instructed Han to attend diplomatic events on his behalf in late November, shortly before the martial law imposition on Dec. 3.

Yoon initially declined to answer, but later acknowledged that he “may have said something to that effect.” He then described his experience at the multilateral summits held in Peru and Brazil, saying that he had encountered what he called “so-called leftist populist government leaders” who had been “invited in large numbers although the countries were not even members [of the global forums].”

He added that “some countries were asking for aid from better-off countries” and that “nonmember” participants had been included.

Yoon did not mention the specific names of such countries.

In November last year, Yoon attended the APEC summit in Lima, where Brazilian President Lula da Silva was present, though Brazil is not an APEC member. He then traveled to Rio de Janeiro for the G20 summit, which included invited leaders from emerging economies in the Middle East, Africa and South America. Some of these governments are led by left-leaning administrations.

Yoon said that these experiences had influenced his view of which diplomatic events required presidential attendance. He said that he had considered asking Han to participate in these kinds of meetings the following year so that Yoon himself could “focus on important diplomacy.”

The remarks were made public when prosecutors questioned Yoon about reports that he had asked Han to cover some presidential-level engagements.

Prosecutors suggested that such instructions were inconsistent with Yoon’s claim that he declared martial law as a temporary measure.

Yoon’s testimony also included details of his discussions with Han prior to the martial law imposition. When asked whether Han opposed the imposition, Yoon said the former prime minister had “asked him to reconsider” and had conveyed what he understood as objections.

Kim Byung-kee, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, described Yoon’s remarks as “shocking.”

“Yoon made comments such as 'better-off countries' and 'leftist leaders who were not even original members.' These show he had no understanding of how international summits operate or the distinction between member states and invited participants, focusing instead on disparaging other nations.”

He added, “One could easily imagine what kind of mindset and judgment he brought to summit diplomacy.”