[Inside Chodong] People Power Party Must Now Break Away from Yoon

A Month After Martial Law, the Political Crisis Persists
The Ruling Party's "Impeachment Trauma" Is a Myth
A Decisive Break Is Needed for Conservative Renewal

A month has passed. Since President Yoon Seok-yeol’s declaration of martial law, intended to prevent the country from falling into the ‘abyss of national ruin,’ the entire nation has been unable to escape the quagmire. Although martial law was lifted after six hours, political stability remains distant. This situation is different from the winter eight years ago when the same presidential impeachment occurred. At the beginning of 2017, there was talk of a ‘new beginning’ and a ‘reset,’ but in 2025, we remain trapped under martial law.

The biggest difference between the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye and today lies in the ruling party’s response. At that time, although there was some dissent within the ruling party, there was at least a consensus in the political sphere about reflecting on the ‘state affairs manipulation’ and a shared sense of crisis. A total of 209 lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties participated in proposing the Park Geun-hye?Choi Soon-sil special prosecutor law, which granted the opposition the right to recommend special prosecutors. The impeachment motion against the president received 234 votes in favor. Considering that the ruling Saenuri Party had 128 members at the time, this means that at least 62 votes, nearly half of the ruling party’s seats, defected. In contrast, unlike eight years ago, the People Power Party decided on a ‘party-line rejection’ instead of a ‘free vote.’ Despite the grave charges of ‘rebellion’ that cannot even be compared to state affairs manipulation, only 204 out of 300 National Assembly members voted in favor of President Yoon’s impeachment motion, barely surpassing the required 200 votes. Among 108 ruling party lawmakers, only about 12 supported it. Because of this, both the special prosecutor investigation and the Constitutional Court ruling are faltering.

Although a new emergency response committee chairman was elected with difficulty, the atmosphere did not change. Kwon Young-se, chairman of the People Power Party’s emergency response committee, said, "I deeply apologize to the people for causing anxiety and concern through martial law and the presidential impeachment, as the chairman of the ruling party responsible for state affairs." However, Kwon’s apology did not address the correctness or incorrectness of martial law or his relationship with President Yoon, the party’s number one member.

People often attribute the different responses to ‘impeachment trauma.’ It is said that after the impeachment of former President Park, the People Power Party lost power and went through purging of deep-rooted evils and investigations, which caused trauma. However, the bestseller The Courage to Be Disliked, which introduces Alfred Adler’s psychology, consistently states that "there is no trauma." It explains that "the reason nothing changes is because one repeatedly decides ‘not to change.’"

Why do they decide not to change? The People Power Party’s different response has more practical reasons. Besides the broad responsibility as the ruling party that led to the current government’s birth, the party is under investigation for strange actions such as blocking its members from entering the plenary session during martial law and controversies over People Power Party nominations that began with the Myung Tae-gyun gate scandal. The party’s very existence is already at risk.

It is time for the People Power Party to muster the ‘courage to be disliked.’

As reflection and introspection disappear within the ruling party, the extreme support base is dangerously consolidating. The protesters gathered in front of the presidential residence to prevent the execution of an arrest warrant against President Yoon are evidence of this. President Yoon called the protesters ‘our people’ and even sent a signed letter urging them to "stay strong." He intends to use the far-right protesters as a so-called shield. During former President Park’s impeachment, three conservatives died at rallies alone. There is growing concern about bloodshed that could have been avoided even during martial law when citizens and the military clashed. If the ruling power seeks future political authority and strives to prevent sacrifices among its supporters, it must now draw a line with President Yoon. Without finding the courage to start anew, the revival of conservatism will be difficult to promise.