Lee Jae-myung, at the April 3rd Memorial Ceremony, directly criticizes President Yoon… "The December 3rd incident was a ridiculous attempt dreaming of martial law."

On the 3rd, a day before the ruling on President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial, Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, publicly urged for President Yoon's removal at the memorial ceremony for the victims of the Jeju April 3rd incident. He strongly criticized the 'December 3rd martial law document,' describing it as another attempt of state violence following the Jeju April 3rd incident and the Gwangju uprising in 1980.

After attending the 77th anniversary ceremony at the Jeju April 3rd Peace Park, Lee spoke with reporters, stating, "The massacre of citizens due to the martial law in Jeju April 3rd was not punished, leading to the events of May 1980 in Gwangju. The inability to hold those responsible accountable resulted in the December 3rd incident." He further emphasized, "State violence cannot be forgiven under any circumstances. Such tragedies must never be repeated in the history of the Republic of Korea."

Lee particularly noted, "The April 3rd incident was the event during which the first martial law was declared after the establishment of the Republic of Korea, resulting in nearly 30,000 innocent people, about one-tenth of Jeju's population, losing their lives."

Strong backlash from the ruling party against the claim of "December 3rd coup… there was a plan to massacre 10,000 people."

At the event, Lee referred to the 'December 3rd martial law document' as a "military coup," asserting that "there existed a plan to massacre between 5,000 and 10,000 citizens." He stated, "With the arms entrusted to protect the lives and safety of the people, there was a shocking plan aimed at harming the citizens that almost proceeded to execution."

In response to these comments, the People Power Party immediately protested. Joo Jin-woo, legal advisor for the People Power Party, asserted, "Lee's claims are clearly false and have not been verified through any investigation or national inquiry," and announced intentions to take "strong legal action, including criminal prosecution."

The legal representatives of President Yoon also released a statement criticizing, "Lee has lost his reason and is spreading false information," claiming, "He is inciting the public with absurd assertions." They added, "He is making unfounded claims that belong in a novel, and there is no massacre plan anywhere in the prosecutor's indictment or investigation records. There were no actual casualties during December 3rd."

In response, Democratic Party spokesperson Jo Seung-rae argued, "Relevant content is clearly noted in the notebook of Noh Sang-won, a key figure in the military organization related to the martial law," asserting, "Lee's claims are not false."

"We need to eliminate the statute of limitations on state crimes"… Prospects for announcing a run for the presidency if impeachment is confirmed.

In his remarks on that day, Lee announced his intention to reintroduce the 'Special Act on Inhumane State Crimes' that removes the statute of limitations for crimes of state violence. This bill, led by the opposition party, passed the National Assembly but was repealed in January when Choi Sang-mok, then acting president and Minister of Economy and Finance, exercised the right to request reconsideration (veto).

Lee stated, "No matter how much time passes, we cannot grant amnesty for state crimes," adding, "Even if it is rejected again by the acting president, I will make sure to pass it through a re-vote in the National Assembly and, if necessary, propose it again."

Meanwhile, it has been reported that on the morning of the 4th, Lee will observe the ruling on President Yoon's impeachment trial with party leadership behind closed doors. Within the Democratic Party, there are growing speculations that if the Constitutional Court upholds the impeachment, Lee will immediately resign from his position as party leader and declare a candidacy for the presidential election.

Image source: News1