"Hard to Hold Back Swearing"…Justice Party's Statement on Yoon's Address

Justice Party Criticizes Immediately After Statement
"Hearing This Is Painful"
"Do Not Give Airwaves to the Chief of Rebellion"

On the afternoon of the 4th, the Jeju Provincial Party of the Justice Party held a press conference in front of Jeju City Hall, urging President Yoon Seok-yeol to step down. Photo by Yonhap News

On the morning of the 12th, President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed his stance on martial law in a national address, while the Justice Party issued an urgent statement strongly criticizing President Yoon.

The Justice Party released a statement titled "It is hard to hold back cursing" on the same day. They opened by saying, "Listening to this was painful. It is hard to hold back cursing," and added, "It felt like watching an extreme right-wing YouTube channel." They continued, "I listened in fear of what conclusion would be drawn. It is almost a relief that this is not a second declaration of martial law," and said, "Making such a statement again on December 12, the day of the coup by the ringleader of the rebellion, Chun Doo-hwan, is violent and unbearable as a citizen." They also stated, "We politely request the media not to give any more airtime to the excuses and provocations of the ringleader of the rebellion," and urged, "Do not hand the microphone to that person ever again." Finally, they added, "The investigative authorities should arrest Yoon Suk-yeol immediately. Detain him now and conduct a thorough investigation."

On the 12th, citizens at the Seoul Station waiting room are watching the urgent statement regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration of martial law. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Earlier, in his address, President Yoon said, "The opposition parties are now wildly dancing the knife dance, claiming that the declaration of martial law constitutes treason," and asked, "Who is it that is causing paralysis of state affairs and disrupting the constitutional order in the Republic of Korea right now?" He argued, "Over the past two and a half years, the major opposition parties have not recognized the president elected by the people and have continuously incited resignation and impeachment. They have not accepted the election results," and claimed, "They have paralyzed state affairs through frequent impeachment attempts." He went on to say, "It is a shield impeachment to cover up their own misconduct, completely destroying public office discipline and legal order," and added, "They are even pushing through self-shielding legislation that grants impunity to criminals." Along with this, he stated, "The major opposition parties sided with North Korea and only tried to tarnish the government struggling to respond. It is impossible to tell which country's party or parliament they belong to," and countered, "These people are precisely the anti-state forces destroying the country."

He further explained, "There have been many more serious matters that I could not reveal directly until now, before making the grave decision of martial law," and said, "I judged that I could no longer just watch silently and thought I had to say something. It is clear that the judiciary will soon face impeachment as well, which led me to consider the activation of martial law." He added, "Although martial law was declared, its purpose was to warn the people about the anti-state atrocities of the major opposition parties and to stop them," emphasizing, "It was to prevent the collapse of the liberal democratic constitutional order and to normalize state functions. This emergency measure was to inform the people of the crisis threatening the nation and to protect and restore the constitutional order."

President Yoon said, "What could be the reason the major opposition parties are rushing impeachment with false provocations? There is only one reason. As the guilty verdict for the leader of the major opposition party approaches, they are trying to avoid it by impeaching the president and holding an early presidential election," and stated, "They are trying to cover up their crimes and seize control of state affairs even if it means destroying the national system." Finally, he said, "Whether they impeach me or investigate me, I will face it with confidence. I cannot ignore the country and the people by clinging only to my five-year term," and concluded, "I will fight alongside the people until the very last moment. Although the time was short, I apologize once again to the people who were shocked and anxious because of this martial law."