Baek Hyeryun: "Sufficient Grounds for Dissolution of People Power Party, More Serious Than Unified Progressive Party Case"

Baek Hyeryun Raises Possibility of People Power Party Dissolution in MBN Interview
"Floor Leader as Defendant in Insurrection Case? Worse Than the Unified Progressive Party"
"Chu Kyungho's Omission Itself Obstructed the Martial Law Lift Vote"

Baek Hyeryun, who serves as the Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea's Special Committee on Judicial Reform, predicted that the People Power Party could very well be dissolved depending on the outcome of the special prosecutor team's investigation into the insurrection case. In an interview on MBN's 'Jung Woongap's In-Depth Analysis (Current Affairs Special)' on the 24th, Assemblywoman Baek stated, "Looking at the precedent of the dissolution of the Unified Progressive Party, the fact that the floor leader of a major party has become a defendant in an insurrection case is beyond words," adding, "This appears to be a far more serious case than what happened with the Unified Progressive Party."

Baek Hyeryun, Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

On the 18th, Assemblywoman Baek became the first Democratic Party lawmaker to appear before the special prosecutor team as a reference witness. A former prosecutor, she previously served as a member of the Special Committee for the National Assembly Investigation into the Truth of the Insurrection Allegations Related to the Declaration of Martial Law by the Yoon Sukyeol Administration. Upon appearing before the special prosecutor team, Baek argued, "At the time of the vote on the motion to lift martial law, it was a situation where any member of the National Assembly should have been present in the main chamber to vote. However, People Power Party lawmakers did not participate in the vote and remained in the floor leader's office," adding, "I believe there were actions intended to obstruct the vote."

On the 21st, the special prosecutor team conducted a search and seizure of the National Assembly Secretariat in connection with suspicions of obstruction of the vote on the motion to lift martial law. It is reported that the search warrant named Assemblyman Chu Kyungho, who was the People Power Party's floor leader at the time, as a suspect.

Regarding this, Assemblywoman Baek pointed out, "The media is raising issues with the fact that Floor Leader Chu changed the location of the party meeting several times at the time," and continued, "While that is a significant problem, as floor leader, he neither gave any instructions nor took any action. I believe that this omission itself constitutes an act of obstructing the vote on lifting martial law." She added, "Recently, I checked my phone and saw that Park Chan-dae, who was the Democratic Party floor leader at the time, sent a text message urging lawmakers to come to the main chamber and participate in the vote. If Assemblyman Chu had sent even one such message, many lawmakers would have participated in the vote."

Former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo is appearing at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where the special prosecutor team led by Cho Eunseok, investigating the December 3 emergency martial law-related insurrection and foreign exchange cases, has set up its office on the 22nd. Photo by Yoon Dongjoo

Regarding the special prosecutor team's consideration of requesting an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, Baek said, "I questioned former Prime Minister Han a lot when I was a member of the National Assembly's special committee on the insurrection investigation," adding, "It is now being revealed that everything he said at the time was false." She continued, "(Former Prime Minister Han) admitted that he received the martial law documents himself, and considering the results of the CCTV analysis, it is hard to accept his excuse that he convened the Cabinet meeting to prevent martial law," predicting, "It seems likely that an arrest warrant will be requested."

In fact, at 5:40 p.m. on this day, the special prosecutor team requested an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Han on charges including aiding and abetting the ringleader of the insurrection, perjury, falsification of official documents, and damage to official documents. This is the first time in constitutional history that an arrest warrant has been requested for a former prime minister. However, former Prime Minister Han denies all charges.

Former Prime Minister Han is accused of aiding and abetting former President Yoon Sukyeol's declaration of emergency martial law. The allegations are that he did not actively prevent Yoon's unconstitutional and illegal declaration of martial law, and instead recommended convening a Cabinet meeting to provide formal legitimacy to the martial law. He is also accused of drafting and disposing of a subsequent martial law proclamation to address legal flaws in the December 3 martial law declaration. Additionally, he faces charges of perjury for testifying before the Constitutional Court that he was unaware of receiving the martial law proclamation until martial law ended.