Ahn Cheolsoo: "Jeong Cheongrae's First Words Are Outrageous... Stop Talking About Dissolving Our Party"

Jeong Cheongrae Elected as New Democratic Party Leader on August 2
"All-out Effort to Eradicate Rebellion... Punishment for Collaborators"
Ahn Cheolsoo: "Forewarning of Blatant Parliamentary Dictatorship"

On August 3, Representative Ahn Cheolsoo, a candidate for the leadership of the People Power Party, criticized Jeong Cheongrae, the newly appointed leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "You keep talking about dissolving our party, but you should keep your mouth shut." On his social media account that day, Ahn stated, "I had some hope, but it turned out as expected. His very first words were outrageous."

Ahn Cheolsu, member of the People Power Party. Photo by Yoon Dongju

Ahn argued, "For the leader of the ruling party to say, 'I will not cooperate with the opposition' is a declaration of war." He continued, "By leveraging their overwhelming majority in the National Assembly, they are signaling an even more blatant parliamentary dictatorship and legislative rampage." He added, "The People Power Party has continued to apologize regarding martial law," and questioned, "But have you ever once apologized for the 'legislative tyranny, government paralysis, and bulletproof National Assembly' of Lee Jaemyung's Democratic Party, which was pointed out during the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial?"

Even before the Democratic Party's national convention on August 2, Ahn commented, "Today, the Democratic Party will elect a new leader. Representative Jeong Cheongrae is a strong contender," and noted, "He has said that the People Power Party should be dissolved as an unconstitutional party. That attempt could become a reality." He further stated, "Illegal martial law is the worst violation of the rule of law in our constitutional history, for which no excuse is acceptable. If someone who defends or remains silent about it becomes party leader, our party could immediately be branded as a 'party of rebellion' and be forced onto the path of dissolution." He went on to say, "The leadership bid by the anti-reform faction is nothing more than an expression of irresponsible lust for power. Moreover, it only helps Lee Jaemyung's Democratic Party in their efforts to dismantle our party."

Jeong Chungrae, the newly appointed party leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering an acceptance speech at the party convention held on the 2nd at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

In fact, after being elected as party leader on August 2, Jeong suggested the possibility of dissolving the People Power Party as an unconstitutional party. In his acceptance speech, he said, "Our party will take the lead in eradicating rebellion with all our efforts," and added, "We must thoroughly punish and hold accountable Yoon Sukyeol, the main suspect and ringleader of the rebellion who still shows no remorse, along with his supporters."

When asked about his position regarding the dissolution of the People Power Party, Jeong replied, "If there are still forces within the People Power Party that do not sincerely apologize, do not reflect, and continue to defend Yoon Sukyeol, how could we possibly cooperate with them?" He also stated, "If it is revealed that there are collaborators and abettors of rebellion within the People Power Party, there will naturally be a growing public demand to petition for the dissolution of the unconstitutional party," and added, "At that time, as party leader, I will make a wise decision."

In response, Park Sunghoon, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, commented, "Jeong is the first-ever ruling party leader to express such deep hostility toward the opposition," and added, "There is significant public concern over his confrontational attitude that demonizes and antagonizes the opposition, which is a key pillar of national governance." He also urged, "As the leader of the ruling party, Jeong should move beyond his days as chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee," and called on Jeong and the Democratic Party to "stop divisive politics and attacks aimed solely at certain groups, and instead participate in communication and dialogue."