PPP lawmakers bombarded by texts, fear for safety as public pressure for impeachment grows

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PPP lawmakers bombarded by texts, fear for safety as public pressure for impeachment grows

Published: 09 Dec. 2024, 15:45 Updated: 09 Dec. 2024, 17:09

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

People Power Party Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo heads into the main chamber of the National Assembly to vote on the impeachment bill against President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday.[YONHAP]

People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers are under heavy pressure to support the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after Yoon's botched declaration of martial law last week, with some legislators being bombarded with tens of thousands of text messages from angry citizens.

Personal cell phone numbers of lawmakers have been leaked to the public, with messages urging them to support the impeachment of Yoon pouring in, according to multiple reports.

"I have more than 100,000 unread messages on my phone," a first-term lawmaker told the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, on Monday. "I use my aides' phones to make essential calls and communications because of this."

PPP. Rep Shin Sung-bum recently posted a screen capture of his phone that read "15,001 unread messages" on his social media account. He wrote, "Please understand that I may not be able to answer calls for a few days."

Shin also attached a video of his phone receiving endless messages saying the same thing. A lawmaker from the South Gyeongsang area reportedly turned off his phone altogether due to the flood of messages and calls coming in.

The office landlines of the National Assembly are also down due to the number of calls coming in, according to multiple reports.

With lawmakers bombarded with so many texts that they cannot do their daily business, some are installing apps blocking messages from numbers other than their saved contacts. The app was shared in a group chat room of PPP lawmakers on Saturday when the impeachment vote against Yoon took place.

"After installing the app, the text bombs disappeared," one lawmaker said, referring to the flood of messages. "I never imagined that there would be this much impeachment pressure."

A Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker reportedly sent a message to their PPP colleagues: "Those who defend the insurgents will be recorded in the history logs of Korea as traitors to the nation."

Lawmakers are becoming worried for their own safety and that of their family members as public pressure increases, with some removing social media content with information about their relatives.

A series of text messages received by People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers to support impeachment, uploaded by PPP Rep. Shin Sung-bum on his social media [SCREEN CAPTURE]

PPP Rep. Kim Jae-sub recently deleted all photos of his children from his social media accounts. Another first-term lawmaker said the public opinion in favor of impeachment was tangible, adding, "I am wondering if I should vote in favor of the impeachment motion next time."

Non-public figures are also under pressure, with alumni from Choongam High School, the alma mater of Yoon, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former Defense Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung, under fire.

In the school's newsletter, the principal said he was freeing students from their dress code to prevent mistreatment while commuting to and from school.

Meanwhile, the few PPP lawmakers who voted during the first impeachment bill against Yoon have also received hate messages for breaking with the party's boycott of the vote on Saturday.

People Power Party Rep. Kim Yea-ji leaves the main chamber of the National Assembly building after completing voting on the impeachment bill against President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday. [NEWS1]

Rep. Kim Yea-ji, one of the three PPP lawmakers present during the vote, said in an interview with BBC Korea that she "received so many negative text and voice messages from party members."

"I want to say that I didn't participate in the vote just to go against the party line but because I was keeping in mind my responsibilities as a member of the National Assembly," said Kim.

Reps. Ahn Cheol-soo and Kim Sang-wook were the other two PPP lawmakers present during the vote on the first impeachment motion against Yoon at the National Assembly on Saturday.

BY LIM JEONG-WON, KIM KI-JEONG [[email protected]]