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People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and floor leader Song Eon-seok hold placards and chant slogans during an emergency caucus at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 16. / Source: Yonhap News

The conservative People Power Party (PPP) on Tuesday said it is exploring legal options against President Lee Jae-myung, including impeachment, after he expressed sympathy with calls for Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae to resign. The PPP also signaled a full-scale filibuster against contentious bills and vowed street rallies.

At an emergency caucus at the National Assembly, PPP floor leader Song Eon-seok accused the administration of seeking “one-party rule,” alleging a campaign to subdue the judiciary following control of the executive and legislative branches. He likened Lee’s recent remarks on the “ranking” of the separation of powers to “Hitler-style thinking,” and condemned proposals for special courts on “insurrection” and “state corruption” as a “delusion that power stands above the Constitution” aimed at “crushing the opposition and conservatives.”

The PPP argued that the presidential office’s support for calls for Cho’s resignation could constitute grounds for impeachment. “Inferring from spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung’s briefing, the president effectively pressured the chief justice to step down, arbitrarily shortening a term defined by the Constitution and the Court Organization Act,” chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said, calling it a grave breach of political neutrality and adding that the party is reviewing potential constitutional violations.

Park said many lawmakers favor launching filibusters against bills lacking bipartisan agreement and taking the fight “beyond the parliamentary walls.” The party is considering a large-scale rally this weekend at Dongdaegu Station, he added, noting that final decisions will follow leadership consultations.