Pressure Peaks Ahead of Yoon Insurrection Ruling... Jeong Cheongrae: "I Hope for a Death Sentence," Cho Kuk: "It Must Be a Victory for Democracy"

Jeong Cheongrae: "I Hope the People Will Not March on the Judiciary"
Cho Kuk: "The Panel Led by Judge Ji Guyoun Must Confront the Truth Head-On"

In connection with the first-instance sentencing in the case of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been charged as the ringleader of an insurrection, the ruling camp called on the judiciary to impose the heaviest possible punishment.

Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on social media on the 19th, "Failing to punish today's crime only emboldens tomorrow's crime," adding, "I hope that the death penalty will be handed down to Yoon Suk Yeol, the ringleader of the insurrection." He also warned, "I hope the people will not be driven to march on the judiciary led by Chief Justice Cho Heedae."

Police vehicle barricades were erected near the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 19th, ahead of the first-instance sentencing of former President Yoon Sukyeol, against whom prosecutors have sought the death penalty on charges of leading an insurrection. 2026.2.19 Photo by Kang Jinhyeong

Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, said at a supreme council meeting held at the National Assembly, "There have already been several judicial rulings on the actions of Yoon Suk Yeol and his cohort," and continued, "In the impeachment trial, the Constitutional Court ruled that these were 'grave violations of the law that cannot be tolerated from the perspective of safeguarding the Constitution.' In its first-instance ruling, the panel presided over by Judge Han Deoksoo defined the case as an 'insurrection from above' and a 'palace coup' that met both the purpose of disrupting the constitutional order and the substantive requirements of a violent uprising. The panel that tried former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sangmin also held that 'with the purpose of disrupting the constitutional order, a large number of people joined together, exercised physical force, and issued threats, thereby mounting a riot with enough power to disturb the peace of a region, that is, they committed an act of insurrection.'" He stressed, "Today's sentence must be a victory for the Republic of Korea, a victory for democracy, and a victory for the Constitution." He then urged, "The panel presided over by Judge Ji Guyoun must confront this truth and the weight of history head-on."

Han Byungdo, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, also said at a policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly, "Yoon Suk Yeol and the insurrectionist forces are anti-state criminals who trampled on the constitutional order and democracy and threatened the lives of the people," and appealed, "The court must impose the maximum statutory penalty to demonstrate the sternness of the law and to restore the shattered constitutional order."