People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok countered on the 4th, “When has the Lee Jae-myung government recognized the People Power Party as a negotiation partner? When has it acknowledged us as a collaborator for state affairs?” The People Power Party boycotted President Lee Jae-myung’s policy speech on the national budget at the National Assembly that morning. This rebuttal came in response to criticism from the ruling bloc, including the Democratic Party of Korea, which claimed, “The opposition has brought isolation upon itself.”
After attending the party’s “Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam Regional Livelihood Budget Policy Council” in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, that afternoon, Jang told reporters, “It is regrettable that our People Power Party is in this position.” President Lee began his speech that morning at the National Assembly, remarking, “It feels a bit empty,” as he looked toward the vacant seats of People Power Party lawmakers.
Jang stated, “The insurrection special counsel requested an arrest warrant for Representative Choo Kyung-ho (a former floor leader of the People Power Party at the time of last year’s emergency martial law declaration) yesterday. How could we listen to the president’s policy speech with smiling faces today after an arrest warrant was requested for a People Power Party lawmaker the day before?”
Earlier, the insurrection special counsel had requested the arrest warrant, alleging that Representative Choo, upon receiving a request from former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s office during the emergency martial law declaration in December of last year, obstructed other lawmakers’ participation in the vote to lift martial law by repeatedly changing the location of the party’s general meeting. This was part of charges related to involvement in critical tasks of the insurrection.
Jang added, “The special counsel itself must know the warrant will be rejected. (Yet) the Lee Jae-myung government intends to label the People Power Party as an ‘insurrection party’ by any means necessary, aiming to dissolve it through unconstitutional party dissolution proceedings, does it not?”
