[Jeongguk Spotlight] 'Asphalt Protesters' Judicial Intrusion Incident, Turning Point in Yoon Impeachment Crisis?

Political Circles Condemn Violence but Deliver Divergent Messages
People Power Party: "There are reasons for anger... Calls for severe punishment aim to silence dissent"
Democratic Party: "People Power Party is inciting division"

The political climate froze as some of President Yoon Suk-yeol's ardent supporters stormed the Seoul Western District Court following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him. Depending on how this situation unfolds, the course of the political hegemony struggle is expected to change.

While the political circles unanimously criticized the violent incident, they expressed differing opinions regarding responsibility. It will also be a point of interest to see how conservative-leaning voters, who have recently shown signs of rallying, respond to this incident.

On the 20th, the violent intrusion by protesters at the Seoul Western District Court the previous day became a hot topic in political circles. The People Power Party (PPP) warned against the opposition party potentially using this as a means to shift the political narrative. Kwon Young-se, the PPP Emergency Committee Chairman, criticized, "If violence is used to enforce their claims, it cannot be justified under any pretext." However, he added, "Our party and I are well aware of the issues in the judicial process and the reasons why the public is angry." Regarding calls to severely punish the protesters, he drew a line, saying, "It is an intention to cut off dissenting voices and to incite national confusion and conflict, using it as political momentum."

On the 19th, after President Yoon Seok-yeol was arrested on charges of being the leader of an insurrection, some of his supporters broke into the Seoul Western District Court building, causing an illegal violent incident. In the afternoon, court officials at the Western District Court were cleaning up damaged facilities and items. Photo by Yonhap News.

However, concerns have been raised within the People Power Party. Kim Geun-sik, former Director of Vision and Strategy at the PPP and Chair of the Songpa-byeong District Committee in Seoul, expressed worry, saying, "During the impeachment phase, emotions ran high, and the so-called 'Asphalt Right-wing,' referred to as the Taegeukgi Brigade, took the forefront, causing their voices to be overrepresented. This leaves no room for presidential support or sympathy narratives."

The Democratic Party held the People Power Party responsible. On the same day, Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party floor leader, criticized at the Supreme Council meeting, "Jung Jin-seok, Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader, and lawmakers Yoon Sang-hyun, Kim Min-jeon, Kim Ki-hyun, and Na Kyung-won continuously defended Yoon Suk-yeol, who attempted to paralyze the functions of constitutional institutions such as the National Assembly and the National Election Commission through unconstitutional and illegal martial law, repeatedly engaging in speech and actions that directly violate the Constitution and laws."

He continued, "This is not a vague equivalence argument; they should apologize to the public for their past wrongdoings, respect the judicial system, and take the lead in establishing the rule of law. We repeatedly urge them not to incite division and conflict but to embark on the path of uniting the people."

The political circles are paying close attention to the political repercussions of this intrusion incident. Recently, the political situation has shown a trend of conservative consolidation, unlike eight years ago, following events such as martial law and President Yoon's impeachment. Contrary to public opinion during the impeachment phase, some recent polls show the People Power Party leading within the margin of error. However, there are also concerns about a backlash from the consolidation of protesters, often called the 'Asphalt Conservatives.'

Kim Bong-shin, Vice President of Metavoice, said, "On one hand, the storming of the Western District Court by extreme conservative protesters may cause fractures in conservative public opinion, but on the other hand, sympathy for President Yoon's arrest could also be highlighted. We need to closely observe what impact this will have going forward."

Earlier, on the 19th, when the arrest warrant for President Yoon was issued, his supporters, enraged, broke through police lines and entered the court building. These supporters destroyed property and fixtures while searching for the judge who issued the arrest warrant, and they committed acts of violence against police officers trying to stop them and journalists covering the event.

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