Ruling Party Leadership Focuses on Youth Policy Meetings and Key Initiatives
Individual Lawmakers Pursue a 'Two-Track' Strategy with Outside Protests
Opposition Launches All-Out Field Rallies
Still Weighing the Impeachment Card Against Shim Woo-jung
The ruling and opposition parties are refining their outside protest strategies ahead of the Constitutional Court's ruling on President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial. On the surface, both parties appear to be engaging in street politics, but their detailed strategies differ. First, the ruling party has adopted a two-track strategy. The ruling party leadership is focusing on livelihood-related activities, while individual lawmakers are pressuring the Constitutional Court from outside.
On the 12th, the People Power Party held a 'Youth Policy Meeting' at the National Assembly Sarangjae with the attendance of floor leader Kwon Seong-dong, policy committee chairman Kim Sang-hoon, and other leaders. At this meeting, they announced plans to increase the scholarship ratio relative to total tuition fees to reduce the burden of university tuition and to expand the criteria for multi-child education support.
The ruling party leadership plans to avoid collective actions pressuring the Constitutional Court before the impeachment ruling and instead focus on livelihood issues. Although a meeting of lawmakers on the 11th discussed counteractions against the opposition's outside protests, the party decided not to act as a whole. Floor leader Kwon Seong-dong stated, "It is up to each lawmaker's judgment and conviction, and we do not intend to give any guidelines."
Unlike the party leadership, individual lawmakers have ignited public opinion against impeachment through outside protests. On the same day, 82 People Power Party lawmakers, including Na Kyung-won, submitted a second public petition to the Constitutional Court. At a National Assembly press conference, Rep. Na said, "We are submitting an additional petition to urge the Constitutional Court to make a wise decision based on due process and the rule of law."
Relay protests urging the dismissal of President Yoon's impeachment continue in front of the Constitutional Court. Starting with protests by lawmakers Yoon Sang-hyun and Kang Seung-gyu on the 11th, more than 40 lawmakers are expected to join from the 13th. Rep. Yoon argued, "A ruling on an impeachment trial with procedural flaws cannot have legitimacy," and insisted, "The impeachment bill must be dismissed."
The opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, are putting effort into outside protests, involving both leadership and lawmakers. Opposition lawmakers are escalating the level of outside protests with head-shaving ceremonies and marches from Yeouido to Gwanghwamun.
Since the Seoul Central District Court's decision to cancel President Yoon Seok-yeol's detention on the 7th, the Democratic Party has been continuing an all-out effort, including holding a night party meeting. On the afternoon of the 12th, they resolved at the party meeting to hold a walking march from the National Assembly main building to Gyeongbokgung Dongshipjagak, a distance of about 2 hours and 30 minutes, urging the Constitutional Court to dismiss the president. On the 11th, lawmakers Park Hong-bae, Jeon Jin-sook, and Kim Moon-soo held head-shaving ceremonies on the steps in front of the National Assembly main building.
It is also noteworthy that non-mainstream lawmakers have joined the outside protest ranks instead of checking party leader Lee Jae-myung. On the afternoon of the 12th, at the tent protest site in front of Gyeongbokgung Station, Lee met with non-mainstream figures such as former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, former lawmaker Park Yong-jin, former National Assembly Secretary-General Lee Kwang-jae, former presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok, and former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum to discuss current issues.
Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon diagnosed the Democratic Party's intensification of outside protests as a "public opinion or psychological warfare." He analyzed that they are putting effort into public opinion campaigns to block the possibility of the president's impeachment being dismissed.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is deliberating whether to use the 'impeachment card' while criticizing Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung. Democratic Party floor spokesperson Yoon Jong-gun told reporters, "Various opinions have been raised, and a decision by the leadership is expected at an appropriate time."
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