Park Chandae: "Impeachment Could Have Been Possible Due to the Myeong Taegyun Gate"
Jung Chunsaeng: "Myeong Taegyun's Arrest Was the Decisive Trigger for Emergency Martial Law"
On the 26th, the six opposition parties unanimously called for the passage of the 'Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act' to uncover the truth behind the December 3 emergency martial law.
The floor leaders of the six opposition parties (The Democratic Party of Korea, the Party for Innovation of the Fatherland, the Reform Party, the Progressive Party, the Basic Income Party, and the Social Democratic Party) held a press conference at the National Assembly in the afternoon and stated, "The complete truth behind the December 3 insurrection can only be revealed by the 'Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor,'" adding, "The circumstances revealed so far indicate that the emergency martial law was declared to cover up the Myeong Taegyun gate."
Their press conference followed an agreement reached at a private dinner the previous afternoon.
On the 11th, opposition party lawmakers submitted the Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act to the National Assembly's Legislative Affairs Office. From the left: Yoon Jong-oh, Floor Leader of the Progressive Party; Seo Young-kyo, Head of the Myeong Taegyun Gate Fact-Finding Investigation Team of the Democratic Party of Korea; Jeong Chun-saeng, Chief Deputy Floor Leader of the Party for Innovation of the Country; Han Chang-min, Leader of the Social Democratic Party; Yong Hye-in, Leader of the Basic Income Party. 2025.2.11 Photo by Kim Hyun-min
Park Chandae, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said, "The Myeong Taegyun gate involves serious allegations of violations of the Political Funds Act, interference in candidate nominations, and state affairs manipulation. If true, it would be difficult to avoid investigation and could even lead to presidential impeachment," pointing out, "President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was the head of the special investigation team for the Park Geun-hye state affairs manipulation case, would have been well aware of these facts."
He continued, "Recently, evidence supporting the allegations has been steadily disclosed," noting, "The 'Myeong Taegyun investigation report' prepared by the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office in November last year contains explicit records of conversations exchanged between Mr. Myeong and President Yoon and his spouse, and direct evidence supporting former lawmaker Kim Young-sun's interference in candidate nominations, such as recorded phone calls, has also been made public."
Jung Chunsaeng, senior deputy floor leader of the Party for Innovation of the Fatherland, said, "The arrest of Mr. Myeong was the decisive trigger for the declaration of emergency martial law," adding, "Yoon Seok-yeol vehemently opposed the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor. Just days after the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office prepared the Myeong Taegyun investigation report, a public address was made claiming, absurdly, that the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor was unconstitutional."
He also stated, "It is necessary to clarify the role of Mrs. Kim Geon-hee in the December 3 emergency martial law," arguing, "If the emergency martial law was declared to block investigations into Kim Geon-hee, it is only logical that she was involved. Mrs. Kim was the de facto president of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration."
Yoon Jong-oh, floor leader of the Progressive Party, said, "Mrs. Kim was issued a security-processed phone (a secure phone) by the Security Office, and it has been revealed that she sent two text messages to the National Intelligence Service director the day before the December 3 emergency martial law was declared," pointing out, "Considering that the Security Office's secure phone was a primary communication tool among the insurrectionists, the likelihood that Mrs. Kim was involved in the insurrection is very high."
The opposition parties also continued to call for participation from pro-Yoon members, including former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon. Floor leader Park said, "We expect that many People Power Party lawmakers will uphold conservative values and vote according to their conscience and principles until the very end."
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