South Korea’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) floor leader Kweon Seong-dong on Feb. 11 blamed the Democratic Party and its leader Lee Jae-myung for creating the current political chaos and threatening the constitutional order. “The only goal of this turmoil is to protect Lee from legal responsibility,” he said during his parliamentary speech.
In his address, Kweon claimed that the Democratic Party had dismantled parliamentary democracy, the separation of powers, and the rule of law, leaving the government paralyzed and in a state of “cardiac arrest.” He further argued that Lee, who faces charges in eight cases with 12 allegations across five trials, is trying to drive the country into chaos to push for an early presidential election and seize power.
Kweon began his speech by highlighting the Yoon administration’s achievements over the past three years, noting, “Despite challenging times, there have been clear accomplishments.” He pointed out that “exports have maintained steady growth, and despite difficult economic conditions, we maintained a 2% economic growth rate last year,” adding, “per capita GDP reached $36,000, surpassing both Japan and Taiwan.”
He also mentioned that “inflation has stabilized from 6% to 2%, and despite the national debt surge during the Moon administration, the government maintained its international credit rating while supporting public welfare and pursuing sound fiscal policies.” On foreign relations and security, Kweon emphasized, “The South Korea-U.S. alliance has been restored to its strongest level, and relations with Japan have normalized,” adding, “Trilateral cooperation between Korea, the U.S., and Japan has strengthened, and we’re maintaining peace through strength rather than submissive North Korea policies.”
However, Kweon blamed the Democratic Party for the ongoing political crisis, saying, “The main culprits behind the turmoil, including the Dec. 3 martial law declaration and the impeachment motion against President Yoon, are the Democratic Party and Lee Jae-myung.” He added, “Since the launch of the Yoon administration, the Democratic Party has submitted 29 impeachment motions, an unprecedented move in South Korea’s history.” Kweon pointed out that in 74 years, from the establishment of the South Korean government to the Moon Jae-in administration, only 21 motions had been filed, while 29 were submitted during Yoon’s presidency alone.
Kweon also said, “The reasons for the impeachment motions are more absurd.” He claimed the Democratic Party impeached prosecutors investigating Lee Jae-myung, the main figure in the Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong development scandals, to protect him and delay his trial. He also pointed out that even the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office was impeached for maintaining the indictment. Kweon further noted, “The impeachment motion against the Minister of Justice even includes the ridiculous reason that he simply ‘glared at Lee,’” and added that the Democratic Party impeached the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection for auditing corruption cases under the Moon administration, including the nuclear phase-out, the killing of a South Korean official in the West Sea, and solar energy scandals. He asked, “Where else in the world is there such tyranny?” referring to the impeachment of Acting President Han Duck-soo for seeking bipartisan agreement on constitutional matters.
Kweon further accused the Democratic Party of legislative overreach, saying it had pushed through 23 special counsel bills full of unconstitutional provisions without bipartisan agreement and slashed this year’s budget in retaliation against the government’s opposition to a 1 trillion-won local voucher program. “They have turned parliamentary hearings into a platform for personal attacks and abuse of power,” he added.
The PPP floor leader also described the opposition’s actions as “unprecedented in South Korea’s history,” pointing to 29 impeachment motions, 23 special prosecutor bills, 38 attempts to trigger presidential vetoes, countless coercive hearings, and the unilateral passage of budget cuts. He characterized Lee Jae-myung’s Democratic Party as a faction wielding legislative power for personal loyalty, incapable of governing beyond impeachments and special investigations, and a force that divides the nation, driving politics into endless conflict and division.
