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Ex-PPP chief says President Lee will declare martial law if found guilty

Published: 04 Nov. 2025, 20:21

Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon speaks at the National Assembly in western Seoul on April 22. [NEWS1]

Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon came under fire for claiming that President Lee Jae Myung "is likely to declare martial law" if he is found guilty in an ongoing trial.

“If President Lee’s trial resumes, there is a high possibility of a guilty verdict, and to prevent that, he may invoke martial law,” Han said during a radio interview on Tuesday. “The moment someone restarts this trial, the Lee administration is over. I believe there is a considerable chance that President Lee will declare martial law once proceedings begin again.”

“Now, Chief Justice Jo Hee-de and the Supreme Court justices are being accused of something like a coup just for ordering a retrial," Han continued. "Do you think the Democratic Party will accept the court’s decision once the trial resumes?”

The Democratic Party responded with a statement titled “Are you in your right mind?” condemning Han’s remarks.

“A former justice minister and ruling party leader is spreading a groundless conspiracy theory,” party spokesperson Kim Ji-ho said in the statement. “It is absurd to equate President Lee with the ringleader of an insurrection.” Kim accused Han of “engaging in extreme rhetoric to regain political attention” and called his comments “an irresponsible attempt to incite public anxiety.”

“The Democratic Party strongly warns against turning national crisis management and the rule of law into tools for political strife,” Kim said. “We urge Mr. Han to stop his reckless remarks meant to prolong his political career and come to his senses.”

Lee is facing charges of election law violations and other offenses, but proceedings were halted after he took office on a Constitutional stipulation preventing sitting presidents from being criminally charged.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]