Lee Jae Myung: "End Rebellion by Strengthening Direct Democracy So No One Can Even Dream of It"

Kim Kyung Soo: "We must ensure accountability through a swift special prosecutor"
Kim Dong Yeon: "We must ultimately resolve this through constitutional amendment and electoral system reform"

The Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential primary candidates have expressed their positions on how to end the rebellion sparked by former President Yoon Seok Yeol’s imposition of emergency martial law. Kim Dong Yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, proposed constitutional amendment, while Kim Kyung Soo, former Governor of South Gyeongsang Province, and Lee Jae Myung, former leader of the Democratic Party, called for clear and decisive punishment.

During the presidential primary TV debate hosted by OhmyNews on April 23, Kim Dong Yeon argued, "We must bring this to an end through constitutional amendment and electoral system reform."

Lee Jae Myung (left), Kim Dong Yeon, and Kim Kyung Soo, presidential primary candidates of the Democratic Party of Korea, are taking a commemorative photo before the OhmyTV invited debate held at the OhmyTV studio in Yeouido, Seoul on the 23rd. Photo by Yonhap News

In contrast, former Governor Kim Kyung Soo insisted, "We must decisively punish those responsible for the rebellion," and questioned, "If they are not punished, what guarantee is there that the next president will not declare martial law or incite rebellion?" He emphasized the need to hold those accountable for the rebellion through swift appointment of a special prosecutor. Furthermore, he suggested that addressing inequality and regional disparities would be the ultimate solution.

Former party leader Lee Jae Myung advocated for thorough punishment as well as the strengthening of direct democracy. He stated, "There has never been a failed praetorian coup worldwide, but in this case, the people themselves intervened to lift it. We must create incentives to prevent such incidents from happening again. This means strengthening direct democracy so that no one would even dream of inciting rebellion."