With one year to go until the Dec. 3 martial law crisis, the People Power Party on the 22nd launched a large-scale, off-site public campaign in Busan and Ulsan to rally critical public opinion against the Lee Jae-myung administration and expand support. Under the theme "A livelihood red card for the Lee Jae-myung regime," the People Power Party plans to tour Yeongnam, Chungcheong, Gangwon and the greater Seoul area through on the 2nd next month, putting a strong spotlight on the prosecution's decision to forgo an appeal in the Daejang-dong development scandal.
The People Power Party held the "People Power Party national rally for livelihood recovery and defense of the rule of law" on the afternoon of the same day on Gwangbokjungang-ro in Jung-gu, Busan. At the event, which the People Power Party estimated drew more than 8,000 people, placards read "Resume trials for judicial justice" and "Red card for a regime that destroys livelihoods."
Jang Dong-hyeok, the party leader, said, "Giving up the appeal that stuffed 780 billion won into the Daejang-dong gang's pockets is giving up on the people," adding, "They shoved into criminals' bellies money that could have been distributed as 860,000 won to each of Seongnam's 910,000 residents." He went on, "What's more, the president stepped in to intimidate them not to appeal recklessly, the justice minister told them to be cautious about appealing, and the vice justice minister threatened to invoke investigative command authority—this is how they engineered the appeal withdrawal."
Regarding the Democratic Party of Korea's judicial reform, Jang said, "They say they will increase the number of Supreme Court justices to create a Lee Jae-myung Supreme Court to acquit Lee Jae-myung," calling it "a regime that has abandoned democracy and the rule of law."
He said, "This regime has not only given up on appealing the (Daejang-dong development scandal) case, but has also given up on livelihoods and the economy. All of this is because of one person, Lee Jae-myung," adding, "When Lee Jae-myung tries to bring an end to the Republic of Korea, to liberal democracy, to the future of young people, and to the rule of law, we must bring an end to the Lee Jae-myung regime."
Noting that the day marked the 10th anniversary of former President Kim Young-sam's death, he said, "Former President Kim said, first unity, second unity, and third unity. This is the time for us to unite as one and fight," adding, "Even if Lee Jae-myung twists our necks, Lee Jae-myung's trial will surely begin."
Following Busan, the People Power Party also held a national rally that evening on Youth Street in Jung-gu, Ulsan. Before the rally, Jang visited the Ulsan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and held a roundtable on economic issues. On the 23rd, the People Power Party will continue the national rally in Changwon, South Gyeongsang.
In political circles, some interpret the move as the People Power Party trying to seize the initiative preemptively, anticipating a barrage of offensives from the ruling bloc as the one-year mark of martial law approaches.