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Song Eon-seok, floor leader of the People Power Party, speaks during an emergency lawmakers’ meeting at the National Assembly on Jan. 22. / Photo by Song Eui-ju |
The People Power Party is grappling with mounting concerns over being branded an “insurrection party” following a first-instance court ruling on former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo related to the Dec. 3 martial law declaration.
With the court defining the episode as an “insurrection” and a “palace coup,” analysts say the ruling has undercut the party’s long-standing argument that such claims lacked judicial confirmation. The ruling camp is expected to seize on the decision to intensify its offensive, particularly ahead of the June 3 local elections.
According to political sources on Jan. 22, the People Power Party has responded cautiously, limiting itself to a general statement that it “respects the judiciary’s decision” while saying it would await rulings in the second and third instances.
Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk and floor leader Song Eon-seok refrained from issuing formal statements, though some members of the party’s leadership expressed disappointment. Youth Supreme Council member Woo Jae-joon called it “a regrettable ruling,” while insisting that no member of the party had been indicted or arrested on insurrection charges, adding, “Our party stands upright.”
Senior party official Kim Jae-won echoed similar sentiments in a radio interview, saying the ruling was procedurally disappointing and arguing that the court barely examined whether insurrection charges had been properly established in Han’s trial.
Amid the unease, calls are emerging both inside and outside the party to distance itself from former President Yoon Suk-yeol. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said in a television interview that while the court’s decision should be respected, the current party leadership should “take a further step” and clearly sever ties with Yoon.
The opposition Democratic Party of Korea, meanwhile, pressed its advantage. Floor leader Han Byung-do said at a policy coordination meeting that the court had concluded the Dec. 3 martial law went beyond unconstitutional and illegal acts, amounting to a violent uprising involving military and police forces. “With this ruling, the debate over whether it was an insurrection is over,” he said.
Observers expect the ruling party to sharpen the “insurrection party” frame in the run-up to the local elections. Political commentator Park Sang-byeong predicted that Han’s verdict would fuel a broader drive to “eradicate insurrection,” with the Democratic Party campaigning squarely on that narrative.
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