Ruling party leader opposes former leader's return, citing court testimony

A senior figure in South Korea's ruling People Power Party has strongly opposed the potential return of a former party leader, citing a recent court testimony that he claims corroborates past suspicions about the former leader's actions during a critical political moment.

Jang Dong-hyuk, the party's leader, stated on a YouTube broadcast that the testimony by Ahn Cheol-soo, a lawmaker, confirmed facts that "members and I already knew." He expressed frustration that the former leader and their allies are "continuously attacking Ahn Cheol-soo" instead of refuting the factual claims.

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Instead of refuting the facts, they continue to attack only Ahn Cheol-soo, which is regrettable.

The controversy ignited when Ahn testified in court that he believed the former leader, Han Dong-hoon, was the one who initially proposed gathering at the party headquarters instead of the National Assembly during a past emergency. Jang, who was a supreme council member at the time, has now lent his support to Ahn's account. Han, however, has vehemently denied the testimony, calling it "false propaganda" and explaining that the party headquarters was used as a temporary location due to the National Assembly being locked down.

Jang further questioned the former leader's intentions, suggesting a desire to be remembered as a historical figure who opposed the "state of emergency" while potentially causing the prosecution of another party member and leading to the dissolution of the People Power Party. He concluded that even lawmakers who previously supported the former leader's return have now lost the justification to do so.

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I believe that even the lawmakers who supported the return of former leader Han Dong-hoon have now lost the grounds to mention his return.