South Korea: The leader of the major opposition party expresses regret for former President Yoon’s martial law

Rekha Prajapati "Journalist"January 7, 2026

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South Korea: On Wednesday, the head of the major opposition People Power Party (PPP) in South Korea expressed regret for the unsuccessful effort by ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol to establish martial rule.

During a news conference at the party’s headquarters, Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok apologized, indicating that the conservative party will disassociate itself from Yoon, who is now facing criminal charges related to rebellion.Jang apologized and bowed his head, saying, “The declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, was a wrong and inappropriate response to the situation that caused major confusion and inconvenience to the public and caused pain to our party members.”

Jang expressed his “sincere apologies” to the people and stated he “deeply acknowledges” the duty as the governing party at the time.We’ll own up to our faults and accept accountability inside the party,” he said.We’ll start again in accordance with what the public expects.”

The legislative vote to remove martial rule was attended by 18 PPP legislators, including Jang.

According to Yonhap news agency, Jang promised to look for more extensive political collaboration with other opposition parties in order to win the 2018 municipal elections.We will remain open-minded and work with anybody if they share our commitment to liberal democracy and the objective of thwarting the authoritarian control of the Lee Jae Myung government,” he said.

This week marks the end of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s trial on allegations of inciting an uprising by imposing martial rule for a brief period of time. There is intense curiosity about the severity of the punishment he will get, including the potential death sentence.

According to legal sources, the insurrection trial of Yoon, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former National Police Agency head Cho Ji-ho, and five other individuals is set to have four sessions this week at the Seoul Central District Court.