Media Industry: "People Power Party Claims Role as Co-Conspirator in Rebellion... Disband It"

Emergency Statement Following the Failure of the Impeachment Vote on the 7th

Eleven media-related organizations declared on the 7th that "the People Power Party, which led the organized refusal to vote and the dismissal of the impeachment motion, no longer qualifies as a legitimate political party."

These 11 associations and organizations, composed mainly of active journalists including the Korea Journalists Association, made this claim in an emergency statement issued after the National Assembly's impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol was dismissed due to the ruling party's absence from the vote. In the statement, they said, "The failure to hold a vote on the impeachment motion of the leader of the pro-coup who aimed the barrel at the people who entrusted their sovereignty and tried to seize control of the National Assembly is a discordant note ringing through the history of democracy in the Republic of Korea."

On the 7th, after the special investigation bill on Kim Geon-hee was rejected at the National Assembly, members of the People Power Party are leaving ahead of the vote on the presidential impeachment motion. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

They continued, "The conservative party, which had voted in favor of impeaching former President Park Geun-hye amid her state affairs manipulation, has now gone down in history as a force that ultimately protected Yoon Suk-yeol, the ringleader of the rebellion who tried to strangle democracy through illegal martial law," and criticized, "The People Power Party trampled on the hopes of citizens who gathered wishing for the restoration of democracy."

Earlier, the 11 media organizations had urged the ruling party to adopt the presidential impeachment as their official party stance. However, the ruling party set both the impeachment motion against President Yoon and the special investigation law for First Lady Kim Keon-hee as party lines for rejection. The special investigation law vote failed by two votes short of the required majority, and the impeachment motion was not even put to a vote due to insufficient quorum.

The media organizations stated, "The failure to hold a vote on the impeachment motion is by no means a pardon for the main perpetrators and accomplices of the rebellion, and regardless of the vote failure, swift investigation and arrest of these individuals must be carried out," adding, "We can no longer entrust the lives of the people and the freedom of the press to the National Assembly."

Handonghun, leader of the People Power Party, is coming out of a closed-door party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 7th and answering questions from the press. On the right is Assemblyman Jokyungtae, who reversed his position in favor of impeaching President Yoon Seok-yeol after just one day. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

They further declared, "The People Power Party, having admitted to being accomplices in the rebellion, is now clearly an unconstitutional party and an enemy of democracy," and said, "We, the active journalists, will now go all out not only for the impeachment and arrest of Yoon Suk-yeol but also for the dismantling of this unconstitutional party that sympathized with the rebellion."

The statement was signed by the Broadcast Journalists Association, the National Union of Mediaworkers, the Korea Journalists Association, the Korea Broadcast Technicians Union, the Korea Broadcast Cameramen Union, the Korea Photojournalists Association, the Korea Announcers Association, the Korea Video Journalists Association, the Korea Video Editors Association, the Korea Editors Association, and the Korea PD Association.