PPP's Rhetoric Draws Democratic Party's Retort: "Are You Jeon Kwang-hoon or Jeon Han-gil?"
The People Power Party, opposing the 'Fabricated Prosecution Special Counsel Act' passed by the National Assembly on November 6 at the Democratic Party's initiative, held a 'National Rally Condemning the Railroading of the Lee Jae-myung Prison Break Act' at Busan Station Square on the 14th. Attendees included party leader Jang Dong-hyuk, floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik and other leadership members, roughly 30 party lawmakers, and district party chapter chairs.
Kim Min-su, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, was the first to take the stage with abusive rhetoric, saying, "If the 'Lee Jae-myung Prison Break Act' passes, it will not erase Lee Jae-myung's crimes — it will erase free South Korea," and chanting the slogan "Jaemyung, off to jail" three times. Rep. Kim Ki-hyun said, "They are doing something that is garbage not even fit for recycling. How can such a person be called president?" Kim added that the Lee Jae-myung administration must be brought to an end by next spring.
PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk also took the stage. Denouncing the Fabricated Prosecution Special Counsel Act, Jang called it "a law made for one criminal: Lee Jae-myung," and criticized, "Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party are using the power granted by the Constitution to destroy the Constitution itself." He also led chants of "Resume Lee Jae-myung's trial immediately" and "Lee Jae-myung, step down now."
As People Power Party figures hurled insults at President Lee Jae-myung at the rally — including "Jaemyung, off to jail" and "garbage-like behavior" — the Democratic Party responded on the 15th, saying the event was "no different from far-right rallies of the Jeon Kwang-hoon or Jeon Han-gil variety." At a written briefing on the 15th, Democratic Party spokesperson Lee Yong-woo said, "The words spewed at the rally are utterly dismaying," and denounced, "A main opposition party inciting an attempt to bring down a president elected by the people is no different from the far-right rallies of Jeon Kwang-hoon or Jeon Han-gil. It has abandoned any claim to being a proper political party." The spokesperson also jabbed, "While they inflated the turnout to 10,000, police figures put it at barely 1,000 — the true face of a street struggle that even conservative supporters are turning away from," and urged the party to "end the street fight and return to the National Assembly."
The People Power Party plans to continue its street campaign across major cities nationwide, starting in Daegu on the 21st, followed by Daejeon on the 27th and Seoul early next month. The war of inflammatory rhetoric looks set to continue at future rallies.
