People Power Party holds outdoor rally at Sungnyemun, calls for judicial independence and security accountability

The People Power Party held a rally titled "Judge the Lee Jae Myung Administration, Restore Livelihoods and Protect National Security" in front of Sungnyemun in Seoul on Saturday, National Foundation Day.

More than 70 sitting lawmakers attended, including party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik. The party claimed about 200,000 people had gathered in total.

Participants chanted slogans including "We condemn Lee Jae Myung for the security disaster and humiliating diplomacy" and "Stop intimidating the courts every day — guarantee judicial independence." Many held placards distributed by the party reading "Lee Jae Myung OUT — security disaster, pro-Pyongyang diplomacy" and "Arbitrary farmland inspections — is this North Korea?"

In his speech, Jang criticized the president's approval rating, saying it had "leveled off in the 30s" and would continue to slide into the 20s and then the single digits.

Jang went on to say that the president had recently posted a far-left slang term on social media, adding, "Let's shout back elegantly at this graceless president." He then led the crowd in chants calling for a major overhaul of real estate policy, an immediate halt to the blanket farmland investigation, acceptance of a special prosecutor into ETF-related allegations, and the resumption of Lee Jae Myung's trial.

Floor leader Jeong also criticized the administration, saying, "Not a single word of criticism was directed at North Korea despite its landmine provocation. What on earth does Kim Jong-un have on them?"

Yoo Dong-gyu, the former head of planning at Seongnam Urban Development Corp. and a key figure in the Daejang-dong case, also took the stage. "Lee Jae Myung is a liar officially recognized as such by a court," he said. "He must stand trial."

The rally was the party's first outdoor demonstration in about a year, following a protest held in front of Seoul City Hall on Sept. 28 last year.

Chief Spokesperson Park Sung-hoon told reporters at the National Assembly that no outdoor rallies were planned after Saturday. "I am convinced that Saturday's rally will serve as a catalyst for ensuring that public anger over livelihood issues and the security disaster is properly conveyed through the parliamentary audit," he said.