Could South Korea President Attack North Korea? Experts Fear He’ll Do Anything to Hold On

American scholars have raised alarming concerns that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, cornered by a state of martial law, might provoke North Korea in a desperate bid to maintain its grip on power.

A Korean-American political scientist at Illinois State University, Professor Choi Seung Whan, argued in an op-ed for The Hill on Friday that Yoon will likely resort to extreme measures to cling to power.

Choi explained, “(President) Yoon is acutely aware that stepping down could lead to imprisonment for both himself and his scandal-plagued wife. In his precarious position, Yoon might orchestrate a covert conflict with North Korea, potentially escalating to ordering an attack on Pyongyang under the pretext of self-defense.”

The professor suggested Yoon might even stage a false flag operation to justify a preemptive strike.

Drawing parallels to historical events, Choi compared this potential scenario to the Bay of Pigs invasion during President John F. Kennedy’s administration.

He elaborated on the potential for deception in military tactics, drawing a historical parallel by mentioning that just as the CIA once disguised World War II-era bombers as Cuban aircraft to stir anti-Castro sentiment, Yoon could similarly paint drones to resemble North Korean ones and deploy them into Seoul’s Air Defense Identification Zone. He suggested that this could be used as a pretext to claim an imminent threat and justify a preemptive strike against North Korea.

Given Yoon’s consistent advocacy for preemptive strikes against North Korea and his hawkish stance since taking office, Choi emphasized that such a scenario is not implausible.

To address this volatile situation, Choi urged President-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden to collaborate in calming Yoon and persuading him to step down.

He proposed a strategy reminiscent of former President Rhee Syng Man’s case, suggesting offering Yoon refuge in Hawaii in exchange for his resignation.

Choi stressed the situation’s urgency, emphasizing that exiling Yoon to Hawaii is crucial to preventing irreparable conflict on the Korean Peninsula. In this region, the security interests of major powers such as the U.S., China, Russia, and Japan intersect.

Choi is a former U.S. Army officer who was mentioned during the 2022 presidential debate between Yoon and Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae Myung.