Seoul, February 20 – The leader of South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party (PPP) expressed regret on Friday as former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison for leading an insurrection over his brief imposition of martial law.
Representative Jang Dong-hyeok made the remark during a press conference at the National Assembly, indicating that the conservative party may not have any intention of completely severing ties with the ousted president, although the martial law crisis had thrown the nation into one of its worst cases of political turmoil in decades, according to Yonhap news agency.
Special prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Yoon, but the court sentenced him to life imprisonment, finding him guilty of leading an insurrection over the December 3, 2024 martial law.
South Korea has overcome the political crisis caused by the martial law turmoil and reaffirmed its democratic resilience, but the conservative party has remained deeply divided over the aftermath of the martial law saga.
"This is only the first verdict," Jang told reporters. "The right to be presumed innocent must be applied equally to everyone without exception."
Jang said the PPP has consistently maintained that Yoon's declaration of martial law does not necessarily constitute an insurrection, noting that many legal experts and constitutional scholars share the same view.
He added that the court failed to prove that Yoon's brief imposition of martial law constituted an insurrection.
"The first verdict failed to provide sufficient evidence and explanation to overturn this argument," he said.
In response to intensifying calls within the party for him to sever ties with the former president, Jang said, "Reiterating such calls for an apology and severing ties only sows the seeds of division."
He further criticized President Lee Jae Myung, arguing that Lee has suspended all five of his trials by exercising presidential immunity, and called on the court to immediately resume the trials.
