Jeong Cheong-rae, new leader of the Democratic Party, makes strong statements regarding the refusal of the arrest warrant for former President Yoon Seok-yeol
Jeong Cheong-rae, the newly elected leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has expressed a strong stance regarding former President Yoon Seok-yeol's refusal to accept the arrest warrant.
In a broadcast interview shortly after being elected at the National Party Members' Convention, he stated, “It seems that he is resisting awkwardly while undressing himself, but he could just wrap himself in a curtain or blanket and come out.”
Jeong made his position clear by simply stating, “The arrest warrant can be enforced forcibly,” in response to the situation where former President Yoon is refusing to comply with the special prosecutor's investigation and the execution of the arrest warrant.
He emphasized that it is “a matter of the will to enforce the law,” adding that “if we keep retreating without enforcing (the arrest), there will be lower quality resistance, so we should enforce it according to the law,” completely shutting down any room for compromise.
Jeong also expressed a clear position on how to handle the consent motion for arrest for the People's Power lawmakers or Lee Jun-suk, the leader of the Reform Party, if it is submitted to the National Assembly.
He remarked, “Those who insisted on approving the consent motion for arrest during Lee Jae-myung’s tenure won’t have any objections if (the consent motion for arrest) comes for lawmakers like Lee Jun-suk, and we will handle it immediately.”
This is interpreted as revealing his intent to apply the same standards as the People's Power showed during the handling of Lee Jae-myung's consent motion for arrest.
Possibility of the dissolution of the People's Power as an unconstitutional party
Furthermore, Jeong referenced the potential for pursuing the dissolution of the People's Power as an unconstitutional party.
He predicted that “it will go the way of the 1988 Fifth Republic and the Gwangju hearings,” stating, “The moment the three special prosecutors announce their investigation results, there will be a rapid rise in public demand for the dissolution of the insurrectionary party.”
He continued, “If that happens, both the People's Power and the Democratic Party will have no choice but to go their separate ways. At that time, I will fulfill my role as the leader of the Democratic Party.”
Jeong pointed out a past case where the Unified Progressive Party was dissolved as an unconstitutional party on charges of insurrectionary conspiracy, saying, “The People's Power’s so-called first member, Yoon Seok-yeol, directly sparked an insurrection and was dismissed. To sever ties with this, the People's Power must publicly apologize and repent for Yoon Seok-yeol's insurrection and opposition to impeachment.”
He also stated, “I see that there are still factions within the People's Power that seem to support Yoon Seok-yeol, showing no signs of introspection. Therefore, I will not shake hands with the insurrectionary forces. A public apology, self-reflection, and contrition must come first.”
Image source: Jeong Cheong-rae, the new leader of the Democratic Party, heading to the podium for his acceptance speech at the 2nd Emergency National Party Members' Convention held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of August 2. (Joint coverage) 2025.8.2 / News1, former President Yoon Seok-yeol under investigation by the special prosecutor regarding the 12·3 emergency martial law / News1, Lee Jun-suk, leader of the Reform Party / News1, Jeong Cheong-rae, new party leader / News1
