Gwangju Citizens and Political Circles Urge "People Power Party, Join Yoon Impeachment" (Comprehensive)

University Presidents, May Organizations, Religious Leaders Hold 'Joint Meeting'
Emergency Action Advisory Group and Local Council Members Hold Consecutive Press Conferences

Members of the Gwangju City and District Council affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea are issuing a statement condemning President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration of martial law and calling for impeachment at a press conference held on the 9th at the Dong-gu 5·18 Democracy Square. Photo by Song Bohyun

As voices condemning President Yoon Seok-yeol for causing chaos through unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law and the People Power Party for sabotaging the National Assembly's impeachment vote continue, political circles and civic groups in the Gwangju region have called for the immediate arrest of "the ringleader of the rebellion" Yoon Seok-yeol and urged People Power Party members to join the impeachment.

On the 9th, participants of the "Gwangju City Joint Conference," including heads of various institutions in Gwangju, university presidents, religious leaders, representatives of the May 18 organizations, and civil society groups, held a press conference at the May 18 Democratic Square, demanding "the impeachment and immediate detention of the president." Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung stated, "Just as we overcame May 1980 together, we will unite to protect the Republic of Korea now and stand together until the end."

On the same day, city and district councilors affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea held a press conference condemning, "The only fate left for 'the ringleader of the rebellion Yoon Seok-yeol,' who has destroyed democracy and the constitution, is impeachment, arrest, and punishment through strict investigation."

In their statement, they pointed out, "The ruling party People Power Party members' perception of the situation and actions are truly pathetic and deplorable," adding, "The people are once again despairing as they see the members solely obsessed with protecting their vested interests, completely disregarding the citizens."

On the afternoon of the 9th, at Jeonil Building 245 in Dong-gu, Gwangju, about 20 advisory members of the Gwangju Emergency Action for the Resignation of the Yoon Seok-yeol Regime shouted slogans such as "Arrest Yoon Seok-yeol, Disband the People Power Party" during the Gwangju Democratic Senior Emergency Meeting. Photo by Min Chan-gi

About 20 advisors of the Gwangju Emergency Action for the Resignation of the Yoon Seok-yeol Regime also held a press conference at 2 p.m. that day, stating, "On the 7th, the People Power Party did not participate in the impeachment vote against the ringleader of the rebellion Yoon Seok-yeol, revealing themselves as a pro-rebellion anti-state party," and demanded, "The National Assembly must immediately push for the dissolution of the anti-state People Power Party and arrest the main culprits who led the opposition to the impeachment motion."

They also condemned, "People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attempted a second coup d'?tat to seize power through a public address the day before," adding, "The collusion between Leader Han, Prime Minister Han, who seek to maintain unconstitutional rebellion power, and the pro-rebellion People Power Party is nothing but a coup to seize power."

The advisory group stated, "The National Investigation Headquarters must urgently arrest Leader Han and Prime Minister Han on charges of extralegal power seizure attempts to prolong the rebellion," and declared, "The only solution to this abnormal constitutional suspension crisis is to immediately arrest and detain Yoon Seok-yeol for investigation."

On the 8th, citizens attending the 5th Gwangju Citizens' General Rally held at the 5·18 Democratic Square in Dong-gu, Gwangju, shouted slogans demanding "Impeach Yoon Seok-yeol immediately." Photo by Song Bohyun

The Gwangju-Jeonnam Branch of the Local Autonomy Movement called for President Yoon's resignation and constitutional revision toward decentralization.

In their statement, they warned, "As seen in the statement on the 7th, it is clear that there is no genuine apology and no intention to step down from the presidency," adding, "If the People Power Party continues to refuse to join (the impeachment), they will inevitably fall along with the president according to the will of the people."

They further argued, "Unless the framework of national governance changes, the same situation can occur at any time. The structural cause of this incident is the concentration of power in a single individual under the imperial presidential system," advocating for constitutional revision.

They emphasized, "Constitutional amendments for power decentralization must be made, including a four-year renewable presidential term, a runoff voting system, decentralization of executive and legislative powers to local governments and local councils, and a shift to a proportional representation electoral system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.