Park Sumin Issues Martial Law Apology: "Conservative Right Must Be Reborn... Re-establishment Movement Needed"

"It's Time for Deep Reflection"...A Deep Bow as Well
"Branded Myself as Opposed to Impeachment...Led to Presidential Election Defeat"

On June 5, Representative Park Sumin, former floor spokesperson of the People Power Party, issued an apology regarding the December 3 Martial Law and impeachment crisis, while calling for party reform and a movement to re-establish the party.

Standing in front of the main building of the National Assembly that day, Park stated, "The conservative right-wing party must now be reborn," and delivered a deep bow along with a written statement of reflection.

Yonhap News

She began by saying, "It is time to begin a thorough reflection, so I have prepared a statement of apology to express my regret to the people. Since all party officials have declared their resignations, I am starting anew as Representative Park Sumin and submitting this statement of reflection to the public."

First, Park said, "During the six months of turmoil following December 3, I failed to provide sufficient reflection and apology. The martial law imposed by the president was clearly wrong. The Constitutional Court's ruling that political issues must be resolved through politics was correct."

She continued, "I was fortunate to have participated in the lifting of martial law by climbing over the National Assembly wall on December 3. However, my colleagues were not as fortunate as I was. At that time, communication in the People Power Party lawmakers' group chat was in utter chaos."

She added, "At the emergency general assembly held on the morning of December 3, we all unanimously opposed martial law and recognized and discussed the inevitability of the president's early resignation." However, she explained, "Because the impeachment motion passed too quickly, the situation became uncontrollable."

In particular, Park became emotional as she said, "I am deeply sorry for having initiated a hasty impeachment motion, for branding myself as an opponent of impeachment, and for all the subsequent events that led to the presidential election defeat."

Park also announced plans to launch a campaign for internal reform and re-establishment of the party. In addition, she intends to encourage other People Power Party lawmakers to join in a 'relay of reflection.'

However, Park also pointed out that the Democratic Party of Korea bears responsibility for the impeachment process of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. She explained, "The People Power Party did not unilaterally oppose impeachment. The first and second impeachment bills were themselves quite flawed and contained many problematic clauses. We sought to stabilize the situation while waiting for the third and fourth impeachment bills."

She pledged, "We will do our utmost to keep the government in check so that it does not run out of control," and added, "I will tighten my shoelaces anew to ensure that democracy in the Republic of Korea does not collapse."

In particular, Park criticized the 'Supreme Court Justice Expansion Act' being promoted by the Democratic Party, stating, "If all the newly appointed Supreme Court justices are filled with progressive judges, won't the checks and balances within the Korean judiciary collapse? This is truly a worrisome situation."