43 PPP lawmakers think apology for martial law appropriate as anniversary approaches
Published: 01 Dec. 2025, 07:00
Updated: 01 Dec. 2025, 12:56
![People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at a rally in Chuncheon, Gangwon, on Nov. 30. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/01/ef9ad8e1-1869-4111-b4a6-9990ee4b729d.jpg)
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at a rally in Chuncheon, Gangwon, on Nov. 30. [YONHAP]
At least 43 lawmakers in the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) believe the party should issue an apology for the Dec. 3 martial law imposed by then-President Yoon Suk Yeol last year, according to a JoongAng Ilbo survey conducted from Nov. 24 to Sunday.
The newspaper attempted to contact 105 of 107 PPP lawmakers, excluding Rep. Kweon Seong-dong who is in custody, and party leader Jang Dong-hyeok.
A total of 82 lawmakers participated by phone or text message over the weeklong survey period. Of them, 53 percent said they support an apology from the party leadership on the first anniversary of the martial law crisis, which also marks the 100th day of Jang’s tenure.
Nineteen lawmakers, or 23.5 percent, declined to answer. Fourteen, or 16 percent, opposed the idea of the party apologizing and six, or 7.4 percent, said they would withhold judgment.
Support for an apology came mainly from first-term and second-term lawmakers, who accounted for 32 respondents, while 11 senior lawmakers also supported the idea. They said the PPP failed to show sufficient remorse for the chaos the crisis caused.
“We should apologize 100 times or even 200 times to the public for the circumstances that led to martial law,” a senior lawmaker said.
A first-term lawmaker agreed, saying, “We lost power because of the crisis, so we need to demonstrate sincere reflection to the public."
![People Power Party party leader Jang Dong-hyuk and senior officials and lawmakers from the Chuncheon region hold signs with messages criticizing the Lee Jae Myung administration at a rally near Chuncheon City Hall in Gangwon on Nov. 30. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/01/728e0e8b-f4d5-4d13-8abb-c80135de528f.jpg)
People Power Party party leader Jang Dong-hyuk and senior officials and lawmakers from the Chuncheon region hold signs with messages criticizing the Lee Jae Myung administration at a rally near Chuncheon City Hall in Gangwon on Nov. 30. [YONHAP]
Some lawmakers argued that an apology could serve as the basis for party reform.
“We should treat an apology and reflection as the starting point for presenting a new vision,” three-term lawmaker Kim Sung-won said.
Two-term Rep. Kwon Young-jin also called for reform. “We need reform on the scale of a complete refounding of the party, anchored in a clear apology," he said.
Opponents said an apology could feed the Democratic Party’s (DP) narrative that frames the incident as an attempted insurrection.
“I am skeptical of being played by the DP's Dec. 3 framing,” a lawmaker with a legal background said. “It could intensify their attempt to label this an insurrection.”
Another senior party figure said that calling for an apology "splits the party and fuels division” and “could even give critics grounds to push for a review of the PPP that could rule its existence unconstitutional."
Others argued that the PPP already apologized multiple times and should instead focus on presenting a vision for the future.
“Leaders like Han Dong-hoon, Kim Yong-tae, Kwon Young-se and Song Eon-seog already apologized several times,” a senior lawmaker said. “This is the time to paint the bigger picture of the party's vision."
Some lawmakers said the party should hold off on any message because a special probe investigating the martial law crisis requested an arrest warrant for Rep. Choo Kyung-ho on Nov. 3, with a court hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
“We do not know how the court will rule on the warrant, so the PPP must be cautious about issuing any apology-related message," Rep. Na Kyung-won said.
A few lawmakers declined to answer because they worried their response could be interpreted as discord with the party leadership. "It may trigger internal conflict or appear as disagreement with the leadership,” one senior lawmaker said.
The question of whether the PPP should formally sever ties with former President Yoon also drew a split response. Thirty-one lawmakers supported distancing the party from Yoon, while 26 opposed it.
Yoon, who claimed the presidency as the PPP candidate in 2021, refused to quit the party for months after his martial law declaration. However, he announced his exit in 2025, saying it is “the best course I can take to help secure victory in the [June 3] presidential election and protect liberal democracy.”
![Former President Yoon Suk Yeol appears at his first trial hearing on charges including obstruction of special official duties and abuse of power at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Sept. 26. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/01/2d1ba726-639f-4dea-a062-b5808e414fc4.jpg)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol appears at his first trial hearing on charges including obstruction of special official duties and abuse of power at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Sept. 26. [YONHAP]
“If we want to broaden our appeal, we need to announce clearly that we are distancing ourselves from former President Yoon," one first-term lawmaker said. "We need to say openly that he should not be allowed to rejoin the party.”
A senior lawmaker added that the "PPP needs to show the public that the party is deeply remorseful" and a message distancing from Yoon should be part of that.
But others disagreed, saying Yoon already left the party, so raising the issue again only creates unnecessary trouble.
“You cannot sever ties with someone by simply declaring it," a party leadership official said. "The only solution is to rebuild the party and win over the public.”
PPP leader Jang, meanwhile, is preparing his messaging ahead of his 100th day at the helm.
“We, the People Power Party, disappointed the public deeply," Jang said at a PPP rally in Chuncheon, Gangwon, on Sunday. "The public entrusted us with a precious mandate, and we failed to complete a full term not once but twice.”
Jang’s remark refers to the ouster of two conservative presidents. Former President Park Geun-hye, elected in 2012, was removed from office in 2017 after the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment. Former President Yoon, elected in 2022, was also ousted after the National Assembly impeached him and the court confirmed his removal this year.
Jang did not mention an apology for the martial law crisis or any formal distancing from Yoon.
“Jang knows very well how divided the party is over an apology," a senior PPP official said. "He is still deliberating and feels the weight of the decision.”
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 KIM GYU-TAE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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