Lawmaker Choi Hyeong-du of the People Power Party Acknowledges Responsibility for Yoon's Emergency Martial Law Situation

Lawmaker Choi Hyeong-du of the People Power Party acknowledged his responsibility for his silence regarding former President Yoon Suk-yeol's emergency martial law situation and officially apologized to the public.

On the 6th, Choi delivered a public apology in front of the National Assembly, stating, "I will no longer hide behind the party's stance. I will not conform to the prevailing situation."

Reelected lawmaker Choi Hyeong-du admitted, "Over the past five years, I neglected my duties and responsibilities as a member of the National Assembly due to being a first-term member and not holding a major position. I hid behind the name of party policy and was complacent with the decisions of the party leadership."

In particular, Choi specifically mentioned the incident on December 3, 2023, when former President Yoon declared a state of emergency, stating, "While the President made the enormous mistake and misjudgment of declaring martial law, I played no role as a ruling party lawmaker."

He emphasized, "A member of the National Assembly should look at not only their supporters but the entire nation, but I lacked the courage to do so. Moving forward, I will fulfill all my responsibilities and roles as a member of the 22nd National Assembly to correct the erroneous practices of party politics, the party leader system, the electoral system, and the constitutional power structure."

The day before, Choi had expressed his intention to resign from his position in the party's emergency response committee, admitting, "As an emergency committee member, I should have taken on a greater responsibility, but I failed in reform and renewal, ultimately falling into a serious error that undermined procedural justice in the face of the significant task of unification."

Meanwhile, Choi's apology followed a day earlier, on the 5th, when fellow People Power Party lawmaker Park Soo-min issued a reflective statement to the public regarding the martial law and impeachment-related situation concerning former President Yoon.

The continuous apologies and reflections emerging from within the ruling party have drawn attention regarding the potential repercussions in the political arena.

Image source: Lawmaker Choi Hyeong-du of the People Power Party / News1, Former President Yoon Suk-yeol / News1