Chungam Faction

The Chungam Faction is a South Korean political faction that refers to Chungam High School alumni who held key positions within the military and government during President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration. The faction was formed in 2022, by President Yoon and Presidential Security Service Director Kim Yong-hyun, both fellow graduates of Chungam High School, after Yoon was elected as president.

Throughout his presidency, Yoon would consistently appoint politicians within the faction to higher roles, and promote military generals within the faction to higher ranks. Yoon and Kim would also host gatherings and drinking sessions with the faction in private settings. In early 2024, Yoon would begin to hold private meetings within the faction to discuss martial law. The faction has been described as Yoon's ulterior motive for a self-coup.

Speculation of the faction's existence came to light in August 2024, when Yoon appointed Kim as the Minister of National Defense. The faction's existence was confirmed in December 2024, after Yoon declared emergency martial law during a televised address, in which the faction played a major role.

Yoon and Kim were both eventually arrested for their role in the declaration. Despite this, the Chungam Faction is yet to be disbanded, with confirmed Counterintelligence Command activities within the faction occurring in January 2025. The faction's existence and impact raised concerns about the potential risks of political figures surrounding themselves with loyalists. Citizens have compared the faction to the Hanahoe faction of former dictator Chun Doo-hwan and his successor Roh Tae-woo.