[AK Radio] Restoration of 'Yoon Seok-yeol VS Lee Jae-myung' Rivalry... Intensified Square Politics Between Ruling and Opposition Parties

After Release, People Power Party Rallies Around Yoon Suk-yeol
82 Lawmakers Submit Petition to Constitutional Court Urging Dismissal of Impeachment
Dissenting Voices in Democratic Party Subside as Unity Forms Around Lee Jaemyung

President Yoon Suk-yeol's release and stay at the presidential residence have created a new power dynamic in the political arena. The People Power Party is rapidly rallying around President Yoon. The Democratic Party of Korea has strengthened its unified front centered on Representative Lee Jae-myung. The 'Yoon Suk-yeol?Lee Jae-myung' two-power structure has been restored.

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About 60 members of the People Power Party began a 24-hour relay protest against impeachment in front of the Constitutional Court. Representatives Yoon Sang-hyun and Kang Seung-gyu initiated the protest, which is conducted in shifts of five members each. Additionally, 82 People Power Party lawmakers, led by Representative Na Kyung-won, submitted a second petition to the Constitutional Court urging dismissal of the impeachment. The first petition had 76 signatories, so the number has increased. Currently, with 108 members in the People Power Party, more than two-thirds of the lawmakers are officially demanding dismissal of the impeachment.

On the 12th, 82 members of the People Power Party, including Assemblywoman Na Kyung-won, submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court urging the dismissal of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment.

The party leadership, including the Emergency Committee Chair and Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong, did not participate in signing. The leadership faces a dilemma. The hardline support base and the majority of lawmakers strongly demand dismissal of the impeachment, making it impossible to ignore. More than 80 members outside the National Assembly have also formed an anti-impeachment group, clearly tipping the entire party's momentum toward opposing the impeachment.

This situation is also affecting potential presidential candidates. If an early presidential election is held, People Power Party candidates face the difficult task of embracing the hardline conservative base while also attracting centrist and moderate progressive voters. In particular, former Representative Han Dong-hoon is evaluated to be in the most awkward position since President Yoon's release. Recently, Han, who had been actively engaged in activities such as publishing a book and giving lectures to university students, mentioned, "I hope to have an opportunity to meet the president when the time comes," reflecting this dilemma. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is in a similar situation.

Representative Lee Jae-myung and former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, along with other non-Myeong faction figures, gathered in one place on the 12th.

The Democratic Party of Korea is showing rapid consolidation around Representative Lee Jae-myung in response to President Yoon's release. Although there had been internal conflicts with some party members criticizing Representative Lee regarding the approval of the arrest consent bill, after President Yoon's release, the party united by joining hands with pro-Lee figures. The Democratic Party is increasing pressure for impeachment approval, continuing strong actions such as head shaving and fasting. Additionally, about 500 Democratic Party lawmakers and party officials marched from Yeouido to Gwanghwamun, urging impeachment.

These responses from both sides demonstrate the strengthening of the 'hostile symbiotic relationship' between Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, which has been called since the 2022 presidential election. As the ruling party rallies around President Yoon, the opposition also unites around Representative Lee Jae-myung, accelerating political confrontations in public squares.

On the 12th, about 500 Democratic Party lawmakers and party officials marched on foot from Yeouido to Gwanghwamun.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court is continuing deliberations, and a ruling is expected as early as next week or at the latest the following week. The Democratic Party is urging a swift ruling within next week, while the People Power Party hopes the Constitutional Court's decision will come after the March 26 appeal trial verdict on Representative Lee Jae-myung's Public Official Election Act case.

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