National Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyuk speaks at the National Rally for Restoring Livelihoods and Upholding the Rule of Law, held near Chuncheon City Hall in Gangwon Province on November 30. Yonhap News

On December 1, one year ahead of the martial law incident, National Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyuk stated, "To shout that we must break away from the past is itself to remain in the past, and to yell that we shouldn't fight on the playing field they created is to be trapped on their playing field."

At the final event of the 'National Rally for Restoring Livelihoods and Upholding the Rule of Law' held in Incheon, Representative Jang said, "The present is built on the past, and the future is built on the present. What we can show is a changed present and an even more changed future," expressing this sentiment.

These remarks are interpreted as an intention to 'directly confront' the demands from some within the party that the leadership officially reflect on and apologize for the martial law incident, as it marks its one-year anniversary.

Representative Jang repeatedly emphasized, "The answer is to move forward towards people's livelihoods, looking only at the public, and the answer is to fight properly to protect the collapsing Republic of Korea. Let's unite and fight against Lee Jae-myung's dictatorship."

Regarding the court's hearing on the arrest warrant for Representative Choo Kyung-ho, he commented, "I am confident it will be dismissed. Tomorrow's warrant dismissal will be the starting signal for a major counterattack, and the tiresome accusations of rebellion will come to an end. The public's anger towards Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party will erupt."

On the establishment of a special court for rebellion, which the ruling party is pursuing, he raised his voice, stating, "Lee Jae-myung himself wants to become a president of a Nazi dictatorship and put the courts under his feet to manipulate them at will. The person who should go to prison is not Choo Kyung-ho, but Lee Jae-myung."

He further argued, "The Democratic Party and Lee Jae-myung must be permanently expelled from Korean politics. The only way to revive the economy and people's livelihoods is the early departure of the Lee Jae-myung regime. The person who should depart is Lee Jae-myung, and the party that should be dissolved is the Democratic Party."

At the national rally that day, charismatic YouTubers and the so-called 'Yoon-eogein' faction attended, and during speeches, they repeatedly shouted slogans such as "Oppose martial law apology," "Yoon-eogein," "Martial law was right," and "Release President Yoon," creating a chaotic atmosphere.

Some of them shouted "Communist" and "Traitor" at Supreme Council Member Yang Hyang-ja, who was the first in the party leadership to mention 'reflection on illegal martial law,' and when party district committee chairman Son Bum-kyu asked "Who should we fight against?", they responded "Han Dong-hoon."

Supreme Council Member Kim Min-soo stated in his speech that day, "Representative Jang Dong-hyuk's approval ratings are rising. The path we are currently on is the right path. Don't worry about the occasional noise. They make noise because they fear us."

Supreme Council Member Yang urged, "If we unite, respect each other, and work together, we can win. The responsibility to consolidate diverse voices into one lies with our leadership. Please lend your strength to Representative Jang."

Yonhap News