The People Power Party intensified its criticism of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration by holding a rally for the first time in a year ahead of the National Assembly audit.
On October 3, the party hosted the 'National Action Rally for Judging the Lee Jae-myung Administration, Restoring Livelihoods, and Protecting Security' in the area around Sungnyemun in Seoul. Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk and floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik, along with over 70 current lawmakers, attended the event, where they focused on issues such as the abolition of the prosecution office, the North Korean landmine explosion incident, and the president's trial. This rally marked the first since a condemnation event held at Seoul City Hall on September 28 of last year.
Jang stated, "The Republic of Korea is collapsing entirely," and added, "The president's approval rating has stabilized in the 30% range. It will soon drop to the 20% and then the 10% range." He also warned that a real estate crisis is imminent, saying, "They are now disturbing farmland across the country."
He criticized the president for recently posting a phrase on social media that is typically used by extreme leftists, saying, "Let’s shout elegantly to this left-leaning president," and called for immediate changes to real estate policies, a halt to nationwide farmland investigations, acceptance of a special investigation into exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and an end to the government's leftward shift.
Jeong focused on security issues, stating, "The enemy is North Korea, yet President Lee Jae-myung, his ministers, and the Democratic Party cannot even answer simple questions." He pointed out that there was no criticism of North Korea following the landmine incident, questioning, "What kind of leverage does Kim Jong-un have over them?"
He also criticized the introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs under the Lee administration, claiming that it led to a stock market crash that wiped out 54 trillion won. He asserted, "This is not politics; it is plunder," and emphasized, "The president's very existence is a violation of the constitution. The Republic of Korea will be established and protected by conservatives."
Lim Jong-deuk, the opposition party's defense committee member, stated, "I stand here to condemn the Lee administration's security mismanagement," and criticized the president for comforting soldiers who suffered accidents in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) despite clear provocations from North Korea. He questioned, "Why submit to North Korea?"
Rally participants held placards with slogans such as 'Security Disaster, Pro-North Diplomacy, Lee Jae-myung OUT,' 'Livelihood Destruction, Judicial Destruction, Lee Jae-myung OUT,' '12 Charges, 5 Trials, Resume Lee Jae-myung's Trials,' and 'Is This Country North Korea with Arbitrary Farmland Investigations?'
The People Power Party plans to focus on in-house struggles following the rally. Senior spokesperson Park Seong-hoon told reporters at the National Assembly, "There are no plans for additional rallies after today," and expressed confidence that the rally would serve as a catalyst for conveying public anger over livelihood and security disasters during the upcoming National Assembly audit.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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