Leadership Meeting Also in Gwanghwamun... Opposition's 'Impeachment Verdict' Storm Before the Assault

Democratic Party Holds Supreme Council Meeting at Gwanghwamun on the 14th
Calls for Yoon's Release and Dismissal of Impeachments Continue... Unfavorable Situation for the Opposition
Park Chan-dae: "Yoon Cannot Escape Dismissal" as Public Opinion Campaign Expands Beyond the National Assembly

As President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial drags on, the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea held a meeting in Gwanghwamun. Amid unfavorable signals for the Democratic Party, such as calls for President Yoon's release and the dismissal of multiple impeachments, the party appears to be intensifying its public opinion campaign.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, along with senior party members and officials, are holding a placard protest urging the dismissal of President Yoon Seok-yeol before the senior party meeting held in front of Gwanghwamun, Jongno-gu, Seoul on March 14, 2025. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

On the morning of the 14th, the Democratic Party held its Supreme Council meeting at the Gwanghwamun intersection in front of Gwanghwamun. Floor leader Park Chan-dae raised his voice during the meeting, stating, "Yoon Suk-yeol, who has seriously violated the Constitution, cannot escape dismissal." The Supreme Council meeting is attended by the party leader, floor leader, and supreme council members, and is usually held in the party leader's conference room located in the National Assembly main building in Yeouido. However, due to personal safety threats such as reports of assassination attempts with a Russian-made pistol, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was unable to attend the meeting in Gwanghwamun that day.

The Democratic Party is expanding its activities beyond the National Assembly. This is because unfavorable situations for the party have been occurring daily, such as the cancellation of President Yoon's detention on the 7th and the dismissal of multiple impeachments against officials of the Yoon administration, including Audit Board Chairman Choi Jae-hae and Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Chang-soo, the day before. On this day, it was the 17th day since the conclusion of the impeachment trial arguments against President Yoon, and the Constitutional Court is experiencing the longest deliberation period among all presidential impeachment trials in history.

During the Supreme Council meeting that day, the party continued its public opinion campaign urging the swift dismissal of President Yoon and immediate appeals by the prosecution. Floor leader Park said, "The Constitutional Court has also reminded us that the National Assembly's impeachment of the three prosecutors was lawful and had sufficient grounds," adding, "In fact, President Yoon Suk-yeol has exercised the most vetoes since Syngman Rhee," thereby legitimizing their stance.

Park Chan-dae stated, "It is extremely shameless to incite the legitimate impeachment by the National Assembly, which aims to stop the unprecedented unilateral rush that ignores the legislature, as a reason for rebellion," and added, "Even elementary school students know that impeachment is not a cause for martial law." Foreign tourists dressed in hanbok took out their cameras, fascinated by the scene.

There were also strong remarks regarding Choi Sang-mok, the Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance, who exercised his right to request a reconsideration of the Myeong Tae-gyun Special Prosecutor Act. Park said, "This is the eighth veto exercised since he became acting prime minister," and explained, "The Myeong Tae-gyun Special Prosecutor Act is a bill to investigate the Myeong Tae-gyun Gate, which caused the rebellion, and by vetoing it, Acting Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok has explicitly admitted that he himself is an accomplice to the rebellion."

Since the 12th, the Democratic Party has been marching from the National Assembly main building to Gwanghwamun, further strengthening party cohesion through events such as head-shaving ceremonies and meetings between leader Lee and the non-mainstream faction. On the afternoon of the previous day, Democratic Party lawmakers from the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, including Seo Young-kyo, Park Hee-seung, and Park Gyun-taek, visited the Seoul Central District Court, which made the decision to cancel President Yoon's detention, to protest. On the same morning, floor leader Park Chan-dae and other lawmakers visited the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to urge the prosecution to file an immediate appeal.

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