Chungam Faction

The Chungam Faction (Korean: 충암파; also known as the Chungampa Faction) is a South Korean faction that refers to people who graduated from President Yoon Suk Yeol's alma mater Chungam High School who held key positions in the military and government during Yoon's administration. The group was formed in 2022 by Yoon and Chief of the Presidential Security Service Kim Yong-hyun after Yoon was elected as president.

Speculation of the faction's existence came to light in August 2024, when Yoon nominated Kim as the Minister of National Defense. The faction's existence was confirmed in December 2024. The faction had a major role in the 2024 martial law declaration, which led to speculations that the faction indicated Yoon's ulterior motive for a self-coup.^[1] As a result, this faction has been compared to the Hanahoe faction of former dictator Chun Doo-hwan and his successor Roh Tae-woo.^[2]

Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim Yong-hyun met and became friends in 1977 during their high school years at Chungam High School. In 2020, Yoon began living a life of exile after he was suspended from his prosecutor general duties by Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae. Yoon called Kim over to have a drink, where Kim discussed with Yoon about prominent political South Korean figures. This reportedly got Yoon interested in running for president. Kim also convinced Yoon to form a faction full of graduates from Chungam High School, which resulted in the Chungam Faction being formed.^[3][4] After Yoon was elected president, Chungam High School's website nicknamed Yoon "The Son of Chungam."^[5]

Outside of Yoon and Kim, known members of the Chungam faction include:^[1][6][7]

• Lieutenant General Yeo In-hyung, commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command
• Major General Park Jong-seon, commander of the Defense Security Agency (known as 777th Intelligence Command) of the Defense Intelligence Agency
• Lieutenant General Lee Jin-woo, commander of the Capital Defense Command
• Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min
• Colonel Park Sung-ha, Director of the Planning and Management Office of the Counterintelligence Command

It has been speculated that Chief of Staff of the Army Park An-su is also part of the faction.

In October 2023, then-Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik unsuccessfully attempted to create his own faction full of graduates from Chungam High School known as the Defense Faction.^[8]

After the April 2024 legislative election, in which the ruling People Power Party suffered a landslide defeat against the Democratic Party, Yoon began to mention the possibility of declaring martial law frequently. Such discussions were had in private gatherings between Chungam High School alumni, where Yoon, Kim Yong-hyun, and Yeo In-hyung were always present.^[9]

Speculation of the faction's existence began in August 2024. During Kim Yong-hyun's confirmation hearing to be Minister of National Defense on 2 September 2024, Democratic Representative Park Sun-won would point out that along with Kim's appointment, several key military positions have been filled with figures who had personal connections to Yoon, all of whom graduated from the same alma mater, Chungam High School. Park then suggested that these key military figures could play a critical role in imposing martial law in a contingency. Kim dismissed these speculations, stating, "I do not agree. In the past, there have been cases where the Defense Minister and Defense Counterintelligence Commander were from the same high school." Democratic Representative Choo Mi-ae speculated that Kim might use his position to appoint his loyalists to key military roles. In response, Kim said, "Confirmation hearings are not a place for false propaganda based on misinformation."^[10] Kim took office as Minister of National Defense on 6 September.

On 3 December 2024, Yoon declared emergency martial law across the nation during a televised address. In his declaration, Yoon accused the Democratic Party (DPK), which has a majority in the National Assembly, of conducting "anti-state activities" and collaborating with "North Korean communists" to destroy the country, thereby creating a "legislative dictatorship". The order prohibited political activities, including gatherings of the National Assembly and local legislatures, and suspended the free press. Separately, Yoon reportedly ordered the arrest of various political opponents, including the leaders of the DPK and his own People Power Party.

The declaration was opposed by both parties and resulted in protests. At 01:02 on 4 December, 190 legislators who had arrived at the National Assembly Proceeding Hall unanimously passed a motion to lift martial law,^[11] despite attempts by the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command to prevent the vote. At 04:30, Yoon and his cabinet lifted martial law and soon disbanded the Martial Law Command. The opposition subsequently began impeachment proceedings against Yoon and said it would continue to do so if he did not resign.

Members of the Chungam Faction outside of Yoon were heavily involved in the martial law order, including Kim Yong-hyun and Yeo In-hyung. The event was widely characterized by news organizations, both international and domestic, and Korean politicians as an attempted self-coup.

Following the martial law declaration, the Democratic party called for Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun's impeachment for proposing martial law to Yoon, and intended to file a criminal complaint against him. On 5 December, the police investigated Yoon and other key officials for alleged insurrection^[12] in response to a case filed by minor opposition parties and 59 activists accusing them of treason.^[13] The investigations led to the Chungam Faction being publicly discovered. Amid widespread criticism and mass protests, an impeachment motion was introduced against Yoon the next day,^[14] though it fell short of the 200 votes needed to pass.^[15][16][17] Yoon was successfully impeached and suspended from his presidential powers in a second vote ten days later, with 204 voting in favor, including 12 members of his own party.^[18]

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun resigned the same day and issued an apology.^[19] The Ministry of Justice barred Kim from leaving the country following rumors that he booked a flight to flee overseas to avoid prosecution.^[20][21] The DPK planned to appoint a permanent special counsel to investigate Yoon for treason^[22] and considered filing charges against PPP Floor Leader Cho Kyung-ho, who urged PPP lawmakers to assemble at the party's headquarters rather than the Assembly.^[23] On 8 December, Kim Yong-hyun was arrested on suspicion of committing insurrection by advising Yoon to declare martial law and sending troops into the National Assembly to seize the legislature.^[24][25] He could potentially be sentenced to life in prison, or the death penalty if found guilty.^[26]

Yoon Suk Yeol was summoned three times by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) for questioning on 18 December, 25 December, and 29 December over his declaration of martial law. He ignored all three summonses.^[27] In response, on 30 December, the CIO filed an arrest warrant for Yoon at the Seoul Western District Court.^[28] On the morning of 15 January, Yoon was arrested at his residence where he had been since the impeachment. Police used wire-cutters and ladders to enter Yoon's residence in order to bypass barricades and barbed wire fortifications. After his arrest Yoon was brought to the CIO, where he agreed to an interrogation.^[29][30] Yoon was the country's first sitting president to be arrested.^[30][31][32] On 4 April, the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld Yoon's impeachment by the National Assembly, officially terminating his presidency.^[33] Yoon announced his departure from the PPP in May.^[34] As well as Kim Yong-hyun, Yoon is currently being investigated for heading an insurrection, and may face either life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted.^[35]

The National Assembly later called for the exclusion from office of those referred to as the Chungam Faction within the Counterintelligence Command. Despite this, even after the arrests of the faction's founders, the Chungam Faction is yet to be disbanded. In January 2025, the faction led personnel changes for Counterintelligence Command officers after the martial law declaration.^[7]

Following the 2024 martial law declaration, Democratic Representative Kim Min-seok criticized Yoon's administration including the Chungam Faction, stating that Yoon's administration "is so bad at governance that they have no way of preventing their replacement other than martial law, terrorism, and mobilizing the legal system against their opponents".^[1]

As a result of the declaration, the Chungam High School staff and students received public backlash by citizens over the faction. In return, the school ultimately announced that students were not mandated to wear their uniforms to school until graduation in an attempt to protect them from harassment.^[36] Chungam High School Foundation Chairwoman Yoon Myung-hwa called Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim Yong-hyun "shameful graduates" in a social media post,^[37] and would state in another post; "The school’s office is flooded with complaint calls all day, and even school bus drivers report being harassed by citizens passing by. There’s even a petition to change the school’s name. The school’s reputation and the country’s honor are tarnished. What kind of mental anguish must our students be enduring?"