GRAPEVINE, Texas — Former South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn received a standing ovation from activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference after he called 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, adoption of a resolution calling for the release of President Yoon Suk Yeol,” Mr. Hwang, who launched the conservative Freedom and Innovation Party, told the gathering Friday.
“We call for the adoption of a U.S. congressional resolution urging the immediate release of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been impeached and detained through the actions of anti-state forces and the CCP,” he said.
A South Korean court in February sentenced Yoon, who tried to impose martial law upon South Korea in December 2024, to life imprisonment for insurrection.
Yoon was previously impeached, arrested and dismissed as president following his brief imposition of martial law that set off 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 intended only to inform the public of the danger posed by the liberal-controlled parliament blocking his agenda.
However, prosecutors said Yoon’s decree was an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, and accused him of rebellion, abuse of power, and other criminal charges.
Mr. Hwang also called for an “intervention regarding cyber system hacking and election systems.”
“We, based on the extension of the 2023 [Republic of Korea] U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty into cyberspace, regard the CCP’s interference in South Korea’s elections as a direct attack against the ROK-U.S. alliance and call for immediate intervention by the Trump administration,” he said.
Additionally, he asked for direct sanctions against nations involved in election fraud, citing the examples of Brazil and Venezuela, “and strong sanctions by the Trump administration against Supreme Court justices and officials of the National Election Commission of Korea involved in election fraud in South Korea, including the freezing of assets.”
Mr. Hwang later told The Washington Times, “The White House, through its investigation, and Korea through our investigation, both arrived at a clear conclusion that there’s election fraud in both countries.”
In the U.S., election fraud was uncovered in the public sphere by the government, and in Korea, election fraud is uncovered by civic organizations and the people of Korea, he said.
Mr. Hwang confirmed that he has not been in direct communication with Mr. Trump regarding election fraud in South Korea, but that Gatestone Institute Senior Fellow Gordon Chang has spoken “several times” about it.
“John Mills, who is serving [in the Secretary of State’s office] as [Deputy Assistant Secretary,] had previously come to South Korea, as part of the election international election monitoring team,” he said, “And he investigated this and arrived at the conclusion that there is election fraud in South Korea.”
The Washington Times reached out to the White House for comment.
