Tempers flared and accusations flew at the National Assembly in Seoul on October 20, 2025, as South Korea’s Democratic Party (DP) mounted a fierce public denunciation of Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), over his recent prison visit to former president Yoon Seok-yeol. The visit, which had been quietly conducted and only later revealed on social media, has ignited a storm of controversy and intensified already bitter partisan divisions.
Kim Byung-ki, the DP’s senior floor leader, stood at the center of a packed press conference in the National Assembly’s Rotunda Hall, flanked by party chair Jung Chung-rae and other top officials. Their message was unequivocal: Jang’s actions constituted not just political opportunism, but a direct affront to democracy. According to Yonhap News, Kim declared, “Those who glorify Yoon Seok-yeol’s insurrection and incite a second rebellion must be held accountable.” He went on to demand Jang’s immediate resignation, stating, “Jang must kneel before the people and apologize right now.”
The uproar traces back to October 17, when Jang Dong-hyuk, accompanied by PPP Supreme Council member Kim Min-soo, paid a 10-minute visit to Yoon Seok-yeol at Seoul Detention Center. Yoon, once South Korea’s president, is now imprisoned on charges related to inciting insurrection. The meeting was kept under wraps until Jang posted a brief message to Facebook a day later, writing, “Yesterday morning, I visited President Yoon Seok-yeol. Even in these difficult times, he remains steadfast, armed with the Word of the Bible and prayer. Let us unite and fight together—to save the free Republic of Korea from collapsing under the leftist regime, to protect the peaceful lives of our people.”
For the Democratic Party, this was nothing less than a provocation. Kim Byung-ki lambasted the secrecy of the visit, calling it “political hypocrisy and a deception of the people.” He further criticized Jang’s social media post as a feeble attempt at damage control after the meeting was exposed by the press. “There was opposition even within the People Power Party, but Jang pushed ahead alone. This is blind obedience to Yoon and fanatical extremism. What was so urgent?” Kim asked, his words echoing through the chamber, as reported by Mindle News.
Kim’s criticism did not stop at political tactics. He accused Jang of undermining the Constitution and inciting rebellion, stating, “Jang stood with Yoon and shouted, ‘Let’s bring down the leftist regime together.’ That’s not just refusing to accept an election result—it’s clear incitement to rebellion and a declaration to destroy constitutional order.” Kim concluded with a stark warning: “Those who trample on the Constitution and democracy, those who betray the nation and its people, will surely be brought to justice.”
Other Democratic Party leaders joined the chorus. Supreme Council member Jeon Hyun-hee accused Jang of issuing “a declaration of war against the people,” and warned that if anti-constitutional behavior continued, “the dissolution of the ruling party as an unconstitutional entity is only a matter of time.” She referenced Article 8 of the Constitution, which allows for the dissolution of political parties whose activities undermine democracy. “Jang’s statements and actions violate the core principles of democracy and show support for insurrection,” she said. “We remember what the People Power Party did on the night of the rebellion.”
Jeon was blunt about the consequences: “Jang is unfit not only as a party leader but as a member of the National Assembly. He must resign immediately.”
Representative Park Ji-won took a different tack, suggesting that Jang’s resignation would be in the country’s best interest, but expressing hope that he would remain in place until the next round of elections to ensure a resounding defeat for the PPP. Park also criticized Yoon Seok-yeol’s religious rhetoric, saying, “When Yoon appeared at debates with the character for ‘king’ written on his palm, it was a warning sign. That Jang would say Yoon is ‘armed with the Bible and prayer’ is an insult to Jesus and shows they are on a path to ruin.”
DP Chair Jung Chung-rae, speaking at a morning leadership meeting, was no less scathing. “How can the leader of a major party defend and cheer on the mastermind of an insurrection? This is a grave betrayal of the people,” he said, as quoted by Yonhap News. He characterized Jang’s support for Yoon as “incitement to a second rebellion and an attempt to destroy the constitutional order.” Jung’s remarks grew even more pointed: “Yoon Seok-yeol is the main culprit who turned his guns on the people and destroyed democracy and constitutional order. What a monstrous act this is! It’s shocking, even horrifying. Their mindset is truly brutal.” Jung recalled the night when armed martial law troops stormed the Assembly, warning that the specter of a second insurrection still haunted the nation.
He concluded with a dire prediction: “The day of a constitutional court ruling to dissolve the People Power Party is not far off. If the PPP continues its anti-constitutional activities, their dissolution is only a matter of time.”
At the heart of the controversy lies a deeper struggle over the nation’s political direction and the legitimacy of its institutions. The Democratic Party has repeatedly accused the PPP of undermining democracy through internal strife and disregard for election laws. Kim Byung-ki has stressed the need to expose the internal affairs of Yoon Seok-yeol’s camp and to protect the democratic process, warning that the ruling party’s internal conflicts are harming the nation.
The PPP, for its part, has not responded in detail to the DP’s accusations, but the party is reportedly divided over Jang’s actions, with some members expressing unease at the optics of the prison visit and the rhetoric that followed. The episode has highlighted the deepening fissures within South Korea’s political landscape, where the boundaries between political opposition, legal accountability, and accusations of treason have become increasingly blurred.
As the fallout from Jang’s visit to Yoon Seok-yeol continues to reverberate, both parties are bracing for the next phase of what promises to be a protracted and bitter struggle over the future of South Korean democracy. For now, the Democratic Party is making it clear that it will not back down from its demand for accountability—and that it views the stakes as nothing less than the survival of the nation’s constitutional order.
