Kim Jae-seop, a member of the People Power Party, noted on the 5th that the 'allegations of election fraud' cited by President Yoon Suk-yeol's side as a major reason for declaring martial law on Dec. 3 are also being raised within the party. He said, "The party leadership needs to officially block the conspiracy theory of election fraud."
During the SBS 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' that day, Kim responded to the host's question about the ruling party members' many inquiries related to allegations of election fraud during the previous day's National Assembly special committee on insurrection, saying, "The conspiracy theory of election fraud that is spreading like a cancer right now needs to be officially blocked by us."
On the 4th, during the second hearing of the National Assembly's 'National Assembly Special Committee on Investigation into Charges of Insurrection through Declaration of Martial Law by the Yoon Suk-yeol Government,' members of the People Power Party pointed out the poor management of advance voting papers and ballot boxes by the National Election Commission, stating that the commission needs to resolve related allegations.
In response, Kim said, "Since there are allegations of election fraud being raised among the supporters of the People Power Party, it seems that we should at least clarify that." He added, "It seems that someone from the People Power Party (either the party leader or the chair of the emergency committee) needs to officially say that there is no allegation of election fraud."
He said, "The president conducted early voting in his presidential election in 2022. The People Power Party repeatedly campaigned to encourage early voting. Therefore, it must be true that the party's stance is that there is no election fraud." He further stated, "That is why it is odd for us to revisit the issue of election fraud now."
He continued, "The discourse of election fraud undermines trust in the electoral system itself and disrupts the foundation of democracy. It causes excessive distrust in politics," and added, "I think it is appropriate for the party leadership to cut this off."
He expressed concern about the party leadership's close ties with President Yoon Suk-yeol. If an early election materializes, it's important to create space now for candidates who have competitive potential within the ruling camp to differentiate themselves from President Yoon.
Kim said, "If we are too strongly coupled with the president, we will find it impossible to keep pace with messages from the supporters of Lee Jun-seok and Han Dong-hoon who favor impeachment and those against it. The space will become limited." He added, "There is a broad spectrum in the conservative camp from those supporting impeachment to those against it, and I don't think staying too closely tied to the president is beneficial for encompassing everyone." He continued, "In that regard, we should break away from the past and push forward instead of being mired in the past."
He said, "An early election has become a taboo within the party," while noting, "If it is invoked, it's better to be prepared in advance rather than holding the election in a defenseless state." He emphasized, "In that sense, to attract voters who agree with conservative values more than the president himself, we must secure that space continuously."
Regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol's remarks on the 4th during the 5th hearing of the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial, where he stated that "nothing actually happened" regarding the martial law situation, he commented, "It's only that the purpose of the martial law was not achieved, but it is not true that there was no martial law at all." He added, "Because the public confirmed the proclamation and the military confirmed entry into the National Assembly, this statement sounds somewhat hollow."