The Democratic Party of Korea is strongly criticizing acting President Choi Sang-mok following the violence at the Seoul Western District Court after a warrant was issued for the arrest of President Yoon Seok-youl. They claim that Choi’s inaction in addressing political unrest led to the unprecedented situation of the court’s building being stormed. The party argues that refusing to accept a “state of emergency special prosecutor law” amounts to supporting insurrection.
Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae urged acting President Choi at the party’s Supreme Council meeting to affirm his commitment to upholding the constitution and laws, and pressed him to accept the special prosecutor law. Additionally, Park demanded the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk as a Constitutional Court judge and the recommendation for a permanent special prosecutor, warning that failing to act promptly would perpetuate chaos and lawlessness.
Party spokesperson Noh Jong-myeon argued on YouTube that questioning the necessity of the special prosecutor in light of the recent violence would be akin to endorsing a rebellion.
Previously, both ruling and opposition parties negotiated on revisions to the special prosecutor law regarding insurrection, but talks broke down, and the National Assembly passed the law under the initiative of the opposition. The Democratic Party says they removed most objectionable clauses identified by Choi when he previously vetoed it but is still unsure if he will exercise his veto again, as he usually emphasizes bipartisan agreement.
The timing for the submission of the bill to the cabinet meeting is expected to be postponed until after the Lunar New Year holidays, which could thwart the Democratic Party’s plans to launch the special prosecutor before the holidays. Even if re-approved through the National Assembly, a new investigation could lose momentum if President Yoon is indicted in early February. The deadline for appealing the special prosecutor law is February 2.
Inside the Democratic Party, there is concern about backlash from continuous attempts to impeach cabinet members, making it difficult to proceed with impeaching acting President Choi.
Additionally, the party plans to submit a resolution to expel Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the ruling People Power Party, from the National Assembly. This comes after Yoon allegedly incited violence by promising leniency to protestors arrested after scaling the court’s walls on January 18.