People Power Party to Hold Rally in Seoul Today Denouncing Lee Jae-myung Government
The People Power Party will hold a street rally on Friday, National Foundation Day, from 3 p.m., along the road from Seoul City Hall Station to Sungnyemun Gate, under the name of the 'National Assembly Action Rally for Restoring Livelihoods and Defending National Security.' The rally is intended to denounce the policy failures of the Lee Jae-myung government. It comes ahead of next week's start of parliamentary audits, as part of an effort to galvanize public opposition to government policies.
About 100 sitting National Assembly members are expected to attend, along with regional party district chairpersons, local councilors, party members, and officials. Party member councils in the Seoul metropolitan area plan to send at least 100 attendees per district chapter, and regions outside the capital area at least 50 each. The party expects some 20,000 people to gather, including spontaneous participation from ordinary citizens. Senior spokesperson Park Chung-kwon said at a briefing the previous day, "We estimate turnout will be about 2.5 to 3 times that of last month's public reporting rally in front of the National Assembly main building."
Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk plans to use the rally to mount a security-focused offensive, drawing on the controversy surrounding President Lee Jae-myung's Armed Forces Day address and the recent landmine explosion accident in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
The People Power Party has been maintaining an outward-facing agenda, following its 'Public Reporting Rally on the Misrule of the Lee Jae-myung Administration' on the steps of the National Assembly main building on the 22nd of last month with an outdoor caucus meeting in front of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on the 1st. It is the first large-scale street rally in central Seoul in about a year, since the gathering in front of Daehanmun Gate on September 28 last year. The party plans to continue mobilizing public opinion in the capital ahead of the parliamentary audit season.
