Kim Byungki of Democratic Party on Yoon Sukyeol's Re-Arrest: "Justice Has Prevailed... Maximum Sentence Needed"

July 10 Democratic Party Policy Coordination Meeting
Kim Byungki: "We hope the special prosecutor on the rebellion will fully uncover the crimes"

Following the re-arrest of former President Yoon Sukyeol, Kim Byungki, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "Although it is very late, justice has finally prevailed," adding, "Now is the time for a thorough investigation and punishment." The Democratic Party is emphasizing the complete end of the rebellion, including by proposing a special law on rebellion targeting the previous administration and the People Power Party.

Kim Byungki, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Policy Coordination Meeting held at the National Assembly on July 10, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

At the Policy Coordination Meeting held at the main building of the National Assembly in Yeouido on July 10, Kim Byungki, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader, said, "We hope the special prosecutor on the rebellion will conduct a swift and meticulous investigation to fully uncover the crimes of Yoon Sukyeol and the rebellion group," and added, "In particular, the crime of treason against the state must also be thoroughly investigated."

He continued, "Our people have been waiting for far too long," and added, "We must quickly impose the maximum legal penalty on Yoon Sukyeol, the ringleader of the rebellion, and his group, in order to restore the dignity of the Constitution and democracy of the Republic of Korea."

Earlier, at around 2 a.m. on this day, Nam Sejin, the presiding judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, issued an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Sukyeol on charges of abuse of power, obstruction of special official duties, fabrication and use of false official documents, violation of the Presidential Records Act, damage to official documents, violation of the Presidential Security Act, and instigating the harboring of a criminal. President Yoon had previously been detained by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on charges of being the ringleader of the rebellion, but was released in March after the 25th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Ji Gwiyoun) decided to cancel his detention.

Members of the Democratic Party assessed that judicial justice has finally been realized. Park Sanghyuk, Chief Spokesperson and Deputy Floor Leader for Public Relations of the Democratic Party, said in a written briefing, "The arrest of Yoon Sukyeol is a commonsense decision to restore justice," and added, "We must complete the normalization of state affairs through strict punishment of the rebellion forces."

He continued, "After the collapse of state affairs and the people's livelihoods following the 12·3 rebellion, normalization began with the birth of a government based on popular sovereignty, but it will only be completed through the final punishment of the rebellion forces," and added, "We hope Special Prosecutor Cho Eunseok will, starting with the arrest of Yoon Sukyeol, the ringleader of the rebellion, conduct an even more rigorous investigation and reveal the full truth without leaving a single detail uncovered."

Han Junho, Supreme Council Member and head of the Task Force for Fact-Finding on Manipulated Investigations by Political Prosecutors, appeared on MBC radio's "Kim Jongbae's Focus" and said, "Everyone would describe this as justice finally prevailing," but also noted, "(Former President Yoon) was out for as many as 124 days, which suggests there are problems with the judicial system, and I think this is an opportunity to overhaul it."

The Democratic Party is taking a hard line by defining the previous government and the People Power Party as rebellion forces. On June 27, the Democratic Party launched the Task Force for Fact-Finding on Manipulated Investigations by Political Prosecutors. The task force will investigate cases suspected of being manipulated indictments by prosecutors, such as the Daejang-dong case, the Ssangbangwool remittance to North Korea case, the case of Kim Yong, Deputy Director of the Democratic Research Institute, and the Alpensia bid-rigging case.

On July 8, 115 lawmakers, including Park Chandae, proposed a special law (the Rebellion Special Act) regarding follow-up measures to the 12·3 martial law and protection of whistleblowers. The main points of the bill include: reduction of criminal punishment for voluntary surrender in rebellion cases; establishment of a special court dedicated to rebellion trials; restrictions on pardons and reinstatement for rebellion criminals; restrictions on state subsidies for political parties that produced rebellion criminals; and corrective measures for personnel appointments made by the rebellion group. The bill is aimed at the previous government and the then-ruling People Power Party.