“He was not particularly interested in the student movement or politics,” Lee said, but he had “Strong belief in justice”.
Lee remembers one day walking on campus when they saw a girl questioned by two politicians. Yun immediately started shouting at them. “Because he was so big and angry, the police were scared. They almost ran away, “he said. “His anger was uncontrollable.”
‘I don’t owe anyone’
Decades later, Yun’s friend and classmate would receive his anger.
As a prosecutor, Yun established his reputation as explosive character that were almost guided by an innate sense of right and error. However, the years went by and Lee was worried that he was becoming a bit more aggressive.
When he called him to tell him, “He pulled the phone to the other end of the room.”
Yun was already popularas he had investigated the Intelligence Service in 2013 for corruption, violating the commands of his boss. He was fired from his job, but according to Lee, who defended him, people considered him brave to resist political pressure.
In his testimony, Yun said: “I don’t owe my faith to anyone.”
This was again evident when he prosecuted and imprisoned the South Korean preservative President, Park Gun-He, 2018, who was sentenced to 24 years in prison for bribery. Then he became the beloved of the Left.
This gave him the position of prosecutor to the left -wing government at that time. But instead of winning their sympathy, he began an investigation into one of their ministers. It was then that Lee called him to warn him that he “passed a point without a return” which angered Yun. And so their relationships broke down and never spoke again for a year.
“I was on his side because he always did the right thing instead of following what his boss used to say. I thought there should be more people like him, “said one friend, Shin, who asked to remain anonymous.
Shin, calling Yun ‘Older brother’ – A term that implies affection in South Korea – argues that it was different from many prosecutors at the time, who were selling influence by marrying rich and powerful families.
However, investigating the government, Yun had begun a fight he could not win, and was removed from his post as head of prosecutor.
This rotation of camps made him When hero and when bad.
However, the decision to come down to the president was not easy, said Shin. The two met regularly to define an action plan as Yun did not have many political cones.
“If you have been a politician all your life, you have people who support you. Without these allies, Yun knew he would be very alone, “Shin said.
“I am very sorry that I chose him as a candidate,” admitted Yun’s campaign strategic adviser, Kim Keun-Sik, after the enforcement of military law.
Kim was initially impressed by Yun’s leading approach to the law, but said he was quickly worried. “He didn’t hear any of our tips. He did only what he wanted – he was irrelevant. “
He was making spontaneous, private decisions, preferring to take advice from his friends with whom he was going to drink, Kim said. “We had to constantly clean his crap.”
However, despite these warning signs, he was selected as a candidate for president of the Conservative Party of Popular Power in South Korea.
“We knew it was a risk, but we thought it gave us the best opportunity to beat our opponent,” Kim said.
After the support of the party, his policy was turned quickly to the right.
According to his friends, he was bombed by very right politicians and journalists who “planted ideas in his mind”. He developed extreme hostility to the opposition party, believing that he had links with North Korea.
“I felt very sad because it was changing,” Shin said. “He wanted to win, and his wrong advice sprouted on his head. He started thinking he was in war. “
By a prosecutor, president
By the time he took up his duties, Yun not only alienated his oldest friend, but also many moderate voters, and had created the conditions for a conflict with the strong opposition, which controls parliament.
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