Jeong Cheongrae: "We Will Eliminate Any Controversy Over Unconstitutionality"
People Power Party to Hold Lawmaker Assembly in the Afternoon to Discuss Countermeasures
The Democratic Party of Korea has proposed a revised bill to establish a dedicated court for insurrection cases starting from the appellate level, and to completely exclude external figures from the process of recommending judges. The National Assembly is expected to address the related bill as early as December 22, but clashes between the ruling and opposition parties continue even over the revised proposal.
According to the Democratic Party on December 17, the special law's title will be changed from the “Special Act on the Establishment of a Dedicated Court for the December 3 Yoon Suk-yeol Martial Law and the Protection of Whistleblowers” to the “Special Act on the Establishment of a Dedicated Court for Insurrection and Treason Cases and the Protection of Whistleblowers,” removing “December 3 Yoon Suk-yeol” from the name.
Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending a party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th. 2025.12.16 Photo by Kim Hyunmin
The Democratic Party claims that the revised bill avoids the constitutional controversies of the original proposal, such as infringement on judicial independence, violation of the prohibition on retroactive legislation, and the creation of laws targeting specific individuals.
Party leader Jeong Cheongrae stated at a field Supreme Council meeting held at the Gangwon Provincial Democratic Party headquarters in Chuncheon on this day, “Personally, I believe the proposal for a dedicated insurrection court, which passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, is not unconstitutional. However, to eliminate any controversy over unconstitutionality itself, the Democratic Party will present its own proposal.”
Park Soo-hyun, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, appeared on the YouTube channel “Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory” on the morning of the same day and said, “This is a clear warning not to drag out trials, hold ‘bedroom trials,’ ‘entertainment trials,’ or ‘comedy trials’ like the first-instance Ji Gwi-yeon court did.”
In contrast, the People Power Party continues to oppose the revised bill for establishing a dedicated insurrection court, arguing that it remains unconstitutional.
Na Kyung-won, a member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the People Power Party, said in a CBS radio interview on this day, “No matter how much they have removed, the unconstitutional elements remain. Pre-assigning judges to a specific court itself infringes on judicial independence.”
Joo Jin-woo, another People Power Party lawmaker, also criticized on Facebook on December 16, “They removed former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s name from the law. It’s just a cover-up. Are there any other insurrection trials? Laws targeting specific individuals are unconstitutional.”
The People Power Party plans to hold a general assembly of lawmakers this afternoon to discuss countermeasures, including the possibility of an unlimited debate (filibuster) against the bill to establish a dedicated insurrection court.
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