Park and Yoon Impeachments: Price of Blocking War?

In particular, some conspiracy theories that started overseas have been translated into Korean and distributed, further spreading these claims.

From the outset, the video summarizes the core content of this conspiracy theory, emphasizes that it is fictional overall, and attempts an analytical approach.

Although it is presumed to have been created in communities such as the alternate history gallery, conspiracy theorists treat it as a document containing actual war plans.

As the card's contents are interpreted in connection with the current international situation, it is being used as evidence for conspiracy theories beyond being a simple creative work.

These cards contain eerie content that seems to hint at major Korean tragedies such as the Sewol ferry disaster and the Itaewon disaster, as well as a Korean war, drawing public attention.

In particular, various interpretations exist of a figure called the 'Possible Princess' in the cards, and conspiracy theorists view the cards as more than mere creative works, seeing them as predicting the future or hinting at the plans of certain forces.

They argue that through prophecy they resolve their karmic debts, and at the same time inject plans into the public's mind in advance to reduce resistance when the actual events occur.

This is the logic of introducing the concept of 'Predictive Programming,' whereby specific events are shown in advance in media or pop culture to lead the public to naturally accept a shocking future reality.

According to the report, it included specific details of an attempt to disguise an assassination as an accident involving Kim Jong-un's means of transport.

Although there are counterarguments about the feasibility of this claim, conspiracy theorists link the Park government's hardline North Korea policy with the Asahi Shimbun report to argue that the assassination plan actually existed.

During a 2018 visit to North Korea by Mike Pompeo, then U.S. Secretary of State, Kim Jong-un reportedly joked to Pompeo that he knew Pompeo had tried to kill him. Pompeo reportedly replied, "I still intend to kill you."

This exchange carries a context that is somewhat meaningful rather than something that can be dismissed as a mere diplomatic joke, and conspiracy theorists interpret it in connection with the Park government's assassination plan.

This conspiracy theory extends to claims that the Park government tried to win support for the Korean Peninsula issue by courting major powers such as the United States, China, and Russia. It proposes a scenario in which Park aimed to lay the foundation for resolving the North Korea problem through close communication with Xi Jinping.

This leads to the interpretation that there was an intent to preemptively neutralize North Korea before it completed its nuclear weapons. In other words, the logic is that it was a desperate measure to block the possibility of war in advance and protect peace on the Korean Peninsula.

It is claimed that President Park's impeachment occurred because the plan to assassinate Kim Jong-un was leaked in advance. Conspiracy theorists point out that most people around President Park at the time of impeachment were traitors who either supported the impeachment or remained silent, and they raise suspicions of a leak linked to internal problems within the National Intelligence Service.

As possible sources of the leak, China or the U.S. Democratic Party's disclosure are mentioned, and in particular they even claim a connection to the Obama administration.

Conspiracy theories surrounding the impeachment and martial law controversy of President Yoon Suk Yeol are also spreading. A representative claim is that President Yoon moved up the declaration of martial law to December 3, 2024, to prevent a North Korean invasion. The logic is that the sudden martial law put the entire military on standby, in an attempt to stop North Korean provocation.

This conspiracy theory raises the possibility of a North Korean war provocation exploiting gaps in the military command structure, and explains it in connection with changes in leadership within the Democratic Party due to Lee Jae-myung's election.

On the day of martial law, it is claimed that the National Election Commission's training institute was searched and Chinese hackers were arrested and transferred to a U.S. military base. This leads to a conspiracy theory that Yoon secured evidence of election fraud in order to betray certain forces and side with former President Trump.

In addition, pointing out that the impeachment rulings of Presidents Park and Yoon are strikingly similar, there is even a theory that the Constitutional Court's ruling was a 'script' written in advance by certain forces.

Conspiracy theorists present three grounds for their claim that President Yoon and former President Trump tried to prevent a war. First, after the martial law, former President Trump made remarks hinting at the possibility of war between nations during his meeting with President Zelensky last year. Second, they cite the case in which an arms trafficker acting on North Korea's orders was arrested in the United States.

Finally, citing the fact that after the two presidents' impeachments North Korea's provocations temporarily stopped and its war plans failed, they argue that their war-prevention efforts succeeded.

Conspiracy theorists analyze why North Korea would plan a war in two main ways. The first is the claim that it is at China's instigation. If China invaded Taiwan, U.S. forces in Korea could attack China's rear, so North Korea would start a war to tie down U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula.

The second explanation is a strategy for the survival of the North Korean regime. To escape the crisis of being absorbed by China, it is argued, North Korea would induce a U.S.-China war, consolidate internal unity through local provocations, and try to overcome internal and external crises.