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Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the People Power Party leaves the podium after delivering a personal statement ahead of the vote on his arrest motion during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul on November 27. / Photo by Song Ui-joo

South Korea’s National Assembly on Thursday approved an arrest motion for Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the People Power Party (PPP), triggering an escalation of political rhetoric on both sides of the aisle. As the Democratic Party (DP) prepares to intensify its “insurrection party” offensive, the PPP is grappling internally with whether to draw a clear line from former president Yoon Suk-yeol ahead of next year’s local elections.

Choo faces charges of obstructing the National Assembly’s vote to lift the Dec. 3 martial law order last year. Special prosecutors have requested a warrant, and with the arrest motion approved, the court is expected to hold a detention hearing on December 2 and determine on December 3 whether to take him into custody — the first anniversary of the crisis.

The vote took place with all PPP lawmakers absent from the chamber. Of 180 votes cast, 172 supported the arrest motion.

The timing places additional political pressure on both major parties. With local elections just six months away, each camp is recalibrating its messaging based on the possibility of Choo’s arrest and the symbolism of the ruling coming precisely one year after the martial law incident.

The DP is expected to intensify its “insurrection party” line against the PPP. Party leaders have repeatedly argued that Choo’s alleged role in relocating the vote venue under orders from former president Yoon constitutes participation in an attempted insurrection.

“If it is confirmed that Choo acted under Yoon’s instructions, it is a clear case of complicity in insurrection,” DP leader Jung Chung-rae said Wednesday. “Considering that the Unified Progressive Party was dissolved over conspiracy charges alone, the PPP is a hundred times more qualified for dissolution.”

A senior DP lawmaker said that although the party is unlikely to formally petition the Constitutional Court for dissolution, a possible arrest of Choo would “significantly intensify the insurrection-related offensive.”

The PPP blasted the vote as politically motivated. Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk wrote on Facebook that the approval would “trigger the downfall of the Lee Jae-myung administration,” adding that “history has always judged those who trample on democracy.”

Floor leader Song Eon-seok also claimed, “The real insurrectionists are Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party. One does not need guns to commit insurrection.” He insisted that the “baseless” arrest warrant for Choo would be dismissed once it reached the courts.

Yet signs of internal reflection are emerging within the PPP, especially as the one-year mark of the martial law incident approaches. Rep. Kim Yong-tae urged the party to issue a public apology, writing on Facebook, “Many citizens still harbor doubts about the PPP’s stance on the martial law issue.”

Meanwhile, the special counsel’s office said it had formally sent the arrest approval notice for Choo to the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday afternoon.