People Power Party Recommends Figures for Truth Commission Tied to May 18 Democratization Movement
The People Power Party has nominated individuals who deny the charges of rebellion and grounds for impeachment against former President Yoon Suk Yeol, and who referred to the May 18 Democratization Movement as the 'Gwangju Incident,' as members for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Of the four seats allocated to negotiation groups, the People Power Party recommended Jang Young-soo, a professor at Korea University Graduate School of Law, and Lee Dong-wook, a former member of the May 18 Democratization Movement Fact-Finding Committee.
The third Truth and Reconciliation Commission is composed of a total of 13 members: three recommended by the President, one by the National Assembly Speaker, eight by negotiation groups in the National Assembly, and one by non-negotiating groups in the National Assembly.
Professor Jang Young-soo stated on KBS on December 4, 2024, regarding whether the restriction of fundamental rights related to the declaration of martial law constituted grounds for impeachment, "It may be difficult to see it as a serious illegality sufficient to dismiss the president." In an Ajoo Business Daily column on December 5, 2024, he argued that the declaration of emergency martial law is unlikely to constitute 'subversion of constitutional order' under the criminal code. The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 25 had previously sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment in February for attempting to paralyze the functions of constitutional bodies by declaring emergency martial law. Professor Jang Young-soo's claims are interpreted as negating the court's ruling at the time.
Former member Lee Dong-wook claimed that reports related to the 'Gwangju Incident' were biased towards victims and evaluated theories that the suppressing forces used tanks as resulting in misinformation. He was criticized for using the expression "Would sexual desire arise in a situation where one might die?" while recounting testimonies from airborne troops who participated in the suppression, in relation to sexual assault incidents.