People Power Party: "Democratic Party's Move to Impeach Chief Justice Is a Parliamentary Coup and Legislative Rebellion"

"Changing the Law for a Single Person, Lee Jaemyung...
Chavez-Style Dictatorship"

On May 4, the People Power Party defined the Democratic Party's move to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae as a "parliamentary coup and legislative rebellion," declaring, "We will judge the Lee Jaemyung faction in the upcoming presidential election."

Kwon Sungdong, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized on his social networking service (SNS) that "after the Supreme Court delivered a ruling unfavorable to candidate Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party is moving to impeach the Chief Justice," adding, "They are wielding impeachment like a senseless criminal brandishing a weapon."

Kwon Sungdong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on May 2, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Kwon stated, "It is not only the first-term lawmakers of the Democratic Party who have succumbed to collective madness. When the Supreme Court decided on remand on May 1, the Democratic Party attacked the Supreme Court, calling it a 'judicial coup.' If holding a politician accountable for lies during an election campaign is a 'coup,' does that mean encouraging lies is somehow 'defending the constitution'?"

Regarding the Democratic Party's proposal to amend the Court Organization Act to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 30, Kwon said, "The Democratic Party is trying to change the law for the sake of a single candidate, Lee Jaemyung. In 2004, Venezuela's Chavez increased the number of Supreme Court justices from 20 to 32 and filled the vacancies with his supporters. The Democratic Party has been recklessly pursuing Chavez-style populist policies, and now they are even copying dictatorial attempts to seize control of the Supreme Court."

On the Democratic Party's push to amend the Criminal Procedure Act to suspend criminal trials for a president-elect, Kwon pointed out, "Article 84 of the Constitution refers to 'prosecution,' meaning the president's immunity from prosecution has nothing to do with ongoing trials." He added, "Above all, suspending trials simply because someone becomes president is a direct violation of the principle of equality before the law."