Park Chan-dae of the Opposition: "Yoon Blames Only Others, Will Declare Martial Law Again"
Kwon Young-se of the Ruling Party: "Final Statement Was Positive and Sincere"
Both Parties Adjust Presidential Election Strategies in Response to Yoon's Testimony
President Yoon Suk-yeol's final statement in the impeachment trial is a variable that will influence the political strategies of both ruling and opposition parties as they prepare for the March political landscape. Regarding the final statement, the People Power Party described it as a "sincere apology," while the Democratic Party of Korea gave a contrasting evaluation, calling it "lies and sophistry." The internal dynamics within both parties are more complex. This is closely related to the political environment where a Plan B must be considered amid talks of a possible early presidential election.
Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, stated at the party's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 26th, "Despite clearly declaring an illegal and unconstitutional emergency martial law and deploying armed forces to seize the National Assembly and the National Election Commission, he did not admit any wrongdoing and consistently blamed others," adding, "It is clear that he has no intention of upholding the Constitution and the law." In particular, Park emphasized, "It is unimaginable to entrust military command to such a person again, and there is no law forbidding another declaration of martial law," stressing, "The fate of the Republic of Korea hangs on the Constitutional Court's decision."
Criticism also arose over President Yoon dedicating a significant portion of his remarks to criticizing the opposition party rather than expressing an apology or acceptance of the Constitutional Court's ruling. Kim Min-seok, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said at the meeting, "Above all, there was no message of acceptance (in the final argument)," and argued, "If the Constitutional Court decides to impeach, it is a prelude to refusal that disregards national chaos."
The Democratic Party is paying attention to the fact that President Yoon's stance, appealing for the legitimacy of emergency martial law, could negatively affect public sentiment. This concern is also shared by the ruling party. However, there is a noticeable difference in the official views.
On the 26th, at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Kwon Young-se, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at an economic organization meeting to enhance shareholder rights and corporate value. Photo by Yonhap News.
On the morning of the 26th, Kwon Young-se, the emergency response committee chairman of the People Power Party, met with reporters after an economic organization meeting at the National Assembly and said, "Yesterday's final argument was positive and I believe it will appeal to the public," adding, "I hope the people will understand President Yoon's sincerity, and I also think they will."
Regarding President Yoon not delivering a message of national unity or acceptance of the Constitutional Court's ruling, he added, "It is impossible to include everything in just over an hour of final argument, but discussing the problems of our society is about considering constitutional amendments for the integration and development of our society, so I do not think it is a problem."
Ruling party presidential candidates also generally released messages with a positive tone. Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu, posted on his Facebook, "From President Yoon's final statement, I learned that he apologized to the people regarding martial law and that my thoughts and intentions?that this martial law was not illegal but inappropriate?were aligned." Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also shared his impressions in an interview with Yonhap News TV on the same day, saying, "It seems President Yoon felt a great sense of helplessness during the opposition-led impeachment phase in a situation where the ruling party had a minority."
The fact that ruling party presidential candidates are moderating their remarks is seen by some as statements made with the party's primary election in mind, should the Constitutional Court uphold the impeachment. If they go against the strong opinion within the party, they risk being sidelined not only in the general election but also in the party's presidential candidate primary. The party leadership's actions are also viewed in the same political context as a strategy to boost party cohesion.
Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 26th. Photo by Yonhap News
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