Korean Political Parties Compete to Shape Public Opinion Before Constitution Court’s Impeachment Ruling
Korea is a country where judges tend to factor in public sentiment when making decisions. That is why you see both the DPK and PPP trying hard to court public opinon against and for Yoon before the court’s impeachment decision:
Police buses surround the Constitutional Court in central Seoul, Wednesday, to prevent violent clashes as a verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment nears. Yonhap
As political gridlock deepens over the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, meaningful policy debate has all but vanished from Korea’s political landscape.
Following Yoon’s sudden release from detention last week ahead of the Constitutional Court’s ruling, both the ruling and opposition parties have escalated their rhetoric, with loud protests now dominating the National Assembly. With the Assembly’s role as a national representative body increasingly sidelined, concerns are mounting that the growing partisan conflict will not only undermine the court’s decision but further destabilize the country, according to experts.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) said Wednesday that it would not directly confront the opposition’s escalating street protests calling for Yoon’s impeachment.
“If serious issues arise, the PPP will take collective action, just as the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has. However, we will not resort to street protests or hunger strikes to pressure the Constitutional Court, as the DPK is doing. Instead, we will express our stance through official parliamentary channels,” PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong told reporters at the National Assembly in Seoul.
However, the conservative party’s decision appears to be driven more by political strategy than policy concerns. The party seems cautious that organizing an official rally could give a platform to the more extreme voices within Yoon’s support base, potentially alienating centrist voters, whose support is already fragile.
You can read more at the link.
That sounds very Dystopian. 🙁
Setnaffa, I somewhat agree with Korea’s loser interpretation of law.
– Some laws go uninforced if nobody complains. If nobody is complaining, is the law even necessary? If nobody is being adversely affected, it is just the government making the “criminal” into a victim.
– on issues where it is unclear if a crime had been comitted, such as Yoon’s actions, perhaps letting the public have some influence is not wrong. Did Yoon try to dominate Korea through martial law or was he looking to protect against those working with destructive foreign influences? Maybe Korean citizens should be part of this determination, as it affects their future.