Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, speaks at a rally to defend voting rights over a ballot shortage held at the Handball Stadium in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 15th, Liberation Day. News1
Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, said “Olgong has already become a symbol of defending the right to political participation,” after attending a rally at Seoul’s Olympic Park on the 15th, Korea’s Liberation Day. “Olgong” is short for Olympic Park.
Writing on his Facebook page on the 16th, Jang said, “Olympic Park was patriotic citizens themselves. A wave of Taegukgi covered the plaza. Chants of ‘election fraud, re-vote, same-day voting, hand count’ filled Olgong.”
Jang had attended the previous day’s rally at the handball stadium in Olympic Park in Seoul’s Songpa district, held over an alleged shortage of ballots.
“The hearts of the citizens gathered at Olgong are one — defending the right to political participation,” Jang said. “The right to political participation is the heart of democracy. In the end, protecting that right is protecting a free Republic of Korea.” Turning to President Lee Jae-myung, Jang said, “A president who has abandoned the people is no longer a president. The citizens of Olgong reject him.” He added, “The citizens gathered at Olgong reject dictatorship. Naturally, they also reject a charter revision allowing consecutive terms for the sake of dictatorship.”
The Democratic Party of Korea criticized Jang’s attendance at the rally, demanding that he “immediately stop conspiracy-theory politics.” In a written briefing that day, floor spokesperson Lee Joo-hee said, “Jang openly pushed non-legislative district committee chairs to attend the Olympic Park event through group chat rooms and other channels,” and asked, “Is ‘attending an election-fraud rally’ now a criterion for evaluating district committee chairs?”
Lee said, “The Democratic Party has consistently called for uncovering the truth through parliamentary investigations and a special counsel, and for fundamental institutional reform by the election commission.” She criticized the move, saying, “Attempts to amplify baseless suspicions for political gain are far from establishing the truth.” She went on, “A legitimate political party in the Republic of Korea must not degenerate into a hotbed of extreme conspiracy theories. Jang should immediately halt his wasteful ‘Olgong politics’ and the lining-up of party ranks.”