Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has avoided a crisis of disqualification from running for office in the second trial, leading to unexpected and perplexed reactions within the People Power Party. The ruling party has found itself in a situation where it must ultimately rely on the judiciary without any concrete strategy. This is because the fate of the ruling party is now dependent on the Constitutional Court, which will determine whether President Yoon Suk-yeol should be impeached, and the Supreme Court's decision regarding Lee's violation of the election law.
On the 26th, the People Power Party expressed their backlash after the second trial court overturned the first trial's results and ruled Lee not guilty in the election law violation case.
Kwon Young-se, the chairperson of the emergency committee, said, "I cannot understand the logic of the second trial court," and Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader and a former prosecutor, pointed out, "Even from a legal perspective, I cannot understand it."
The subsequent demand also directed toward the Supreme Court. Kweon said, "Please resolve the legal controversy by judging the publication of falsehoods at the Supreme Court. I am confident that it will be reversed if it goes to the Supreme Court."
Despite strong words, there was evident confusion within the ruling party. A key member of the ruling party noted in a conversation with ChosunBiz, "It's not exactly shock, but it is true that it's perplexing," adding, "I felt a sense of fear that 'judges can twist the logic to this extent.' There are three issues regarding the guilty verdict from the first trial, and I wondered if it was even possible to overturn them all. Yet, the outcome was like this."
Especially with the ruling on President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment case approaching, the People Power Party has no other cards to turn the situation around except to "cling to the judiciary." They are in a position where they criticize the judiciary but must rely on it.
A source within the political sphere stated, "As the 'judicialization of politics' accelerates, both the ruling party and the opposition party are often left shocked, looking solely at the judiciary," and added, "What was it like when Lee was acquitted in the first trial regarding the perjury case last November? Nothing has changed since then."
Analyses suggest that the ruling party is likely to become more aligned with its 'hardcore support base' as a result of the ruling that day. This means that they could drift further away from the centrist voters.
Political commentator Kim Soo-min said, "If Lee appears shaken by the judicial risk, the ruling party may entertain hopes that they can 'knock him down' and may develop a more proactive strategy, but now the likelihood of supporting their own has increased instead," expressing concern that, "Ultimately, as the radical behaviors of the support base become stronger, the ruling party may be more entrenched rather than drawing a line. "