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Former Gyeonggi Province governor Kim Moon-soo listens to a speech opposing President Park’s impeachment

As we reach the end of President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, the incitement and threats of the forces opposing her impeachment are nearing fever pitch. After Park’s attorneys made comments that seemed to incite rebellion inside the Constitutional Court on Feb. 22, pro-Park lawmakers in the Liberty Korea Party vowed the next day that they would not accept the court’s decision, claiming that there are problems with the impeachment procedure. Some of their remarks have been horrifying – “We’ll stain the asphalt with blood.” There have also been open threats of terrorist attacks against the judges of the Constitutional Court. One conservative newspaper has been foaming at the mouth as if a civil war were about to break out.

The direction in which the incitement and threats are tending is shutting down the Constitutional Court’s trial. During a press conference on Feb. 23, pro-Park lawmakers repeated the arguments made by Park’s attorneys on the previous day and said that “the trial must be stopped since there have been procedural problems with the impeachment motion and the impeachment trial.” Similarly absurd claims were made in the National Assembly on Feb. 24.

When the influence-peddling scandal first broke, all the pro-Park lawmakers ran for cover, insisting that they knew nothing of Choi Sun-sil. When the National Assembly held the vote on Park’s impeachment, the Saenuri Party (now called the Liberty Korea Party) allowed lawmakers to vote their conscience without raising any objections about procedure.

But now they’ve done an about face, arguing that even the motion of impeachment was problematic. They’ve also repeatedly made remarks that disregard the constitutional system and the rule of law, such as their threat to disregard the ruling of the Constitutional Court. It’s obvious that they’re hoping to consolidate their base and to provoke an extreme reaction with the hope of overturning the court’s decision. They must think that it doesn’t matter what happens to the country as long as things work out to their political advantage.

It appears that the harsh language of Park’s attorneys has been a calculated strategy from the very beginning. While violent defendants sometimes cause a scene in the courtroom, it’s unthinkable for attorneys to criticize the judge and name them. Parks attorneys appear to be identifying targets for their supporters to attack while making radical remarks about “civil war” and “fighting on the streets” directed not at the bench but at the gallery. These are not legal arguments but overt political agitation. This could not be happening unless they were hoping to interrupt the trial through a provocation or to change the game by leading an uprising.

At the moment, the groups that are inciting and threatening a rebellion are the forces opposing the impeachment. It’s not both the supporters and opponents of impeachment who are to blame here – it’s the opponents who are blatantly attempting to obstruct the impeachment proceedings.

Nor do the supporters and opponents of impeachment have similar numbers. An absolute majority of South Koreans – around 80% - have supported Park’s impeachment since the National Assembly passed the motion. Thus, it’s clear who ought to be held responsible for sowing chaos. The pro-Park forces must stop their incitement and threats at once.

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