Jung Cheong-rae, the new leader of the Democratic Party, made strong remarks regarding the refusal to execute an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Seok-yeol.
In a broadcast interview held shortly after his election at the national party convention, Jung stated, "It seems like he is exposing himself and resisting embarrassingly, but he could wrap himself in curtains or a blanket and come out."
Jung clearly expressed his stance, saying, "The arrest warrant can simply be enforced" in response to the situation where former President Yoon is refusing to comply with the special prosecutor's investigation.
He emphasized, "It is a matter of the will to enforce the law," adding, "If you keep retreating like this without enforcement, it will lead to even lower-quality resistance, so it should be enforced according to the law," completely shutting down any possibility for compromise.
Jung also took a clear stance on how to handle any motion for arrest approval for People Power Party lawmakers or Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the Reform Party, who are subjects of the special prosecutor’s search and seizure.
He stated, "Those who argued for the approval of the arrest motion for Leader Lee Jae-myung will have no grounds to oppose it if the (arrest motion) for Lee Jun-seok comes in. We will handle it immediately," declaring decisively.
This is interpreted as showing his intent to apply the same standards as those exhibited by the People Power Party during the processing of the arrest motion for Leader Lee Jae-myung in the past.
Jung hinted at the possibility of pushing for the dissolution of the People Power Party as an unconstitutional party.
He predicted, "I believe it will lead to a situation similar to the May 1988 5th Public Official and Gwangju hearings," stating, "The moment the third special prosecutor announces the results of the investigation, the public demand for the dissolution of the insurrection party will rise rapidly."
He continued, "If that happens, both the People Power Party 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."
Mentioning the past case where the Unified Progressive Party was dissolved as an unconstitutional party due to alleged conspiracy for insurrection, he emphasized, "The People Power Party, whose so-called first member was Yoon Seok-yeol, was directly removed for instigating a rebellion. If the People Power Party wants to break away from this, they must publicly apologize to the nation and repent for opposing the impeachment of Yoon Seok-yeol."
He also stated, "It appears that there are still factions within the People Power Party that seem to support Yoon Seok-yeol, which shows there is no genuineness in their remorse," reiterating, "Thus, we will not shake hands with the insurrection forces. A national apology, reflection, and repentance must come first."
Image Source: Jung Cheong-rae, new leader of the Democratic Party, approaches the podium to deliver an acceptance speech at the 2nd Temporary National Party Convention held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of August 2nd. (Joint Coverage) 2025.8.2 / News1, Former President Yoon Seok-yeol under investigation by the Special Prosecutor related to the December 3 Martial Law / News1, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party / News1, Jung Cheong-rae, new party leader / News1
