'Nothing to hide': PPP's Choo Kyung-ho responds to raid by special counsel over martial law allegations

Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the People Power Party (PPP) responded Tuesday to a raid carried out at his residence and National Assembly office by the special counsel investigating treason allegations tied to the Dec. 3, 2024 martial law declaration.

People Power Party Rep. Choo Kyung-ho walks into his office at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Sept. 2. [YONHAP]

Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the People Power Party (PPP) responded Tuesday to a raid carried out at his residence and National Assembly office by the special counsel investigating treason allegations tied to the Dec. 3, 2024 martial law declaration.

Choo, who served as floor leader of the PPP during the incident, stated that he has “nothing to hide or avoid before the law” and is “confident in standing before the people.”

He wrote on Facebook that he “will not yield to the Democratic Party’s [DP] political scheme to frame the PPP as a treasonous party through false agitation.”

The special counsel is currently investigating allegations that Choo and others attempted to block a parliamentary vote to lift martial law. Choo dismissed the claims as “a baseless political attack targeting the PPP,” and insisted that “no PPP lawmaker was ever encouraged to skip the vote.”

Choo said that on the day martial law was declared, he spoke with the president and then moved the PPP’s general assembly meeting from party headquarters to the National Assembly, contrary to the accusations.

“I went to the National Assembly with my colleagues,” he said. “When the National Assembly speaker officially convened the plenary session, I asked for measures to ensure lawmakers could enter the chamber.”

He also noted that immediately after the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law, the party called on the government to act swiftly.

People Power Party Rep. Cho Ji-yeon is seen exiting the Daegu District Court on Dec. 6, 2024. [YONHAP]

“I will continue to respond to this matter with full transparency and accountability,” he said.

Rep. Cho Ji-yeon, also of the PPP, issued a statement the same day after her parliamentary office was searched by the special counsel.

Cho addressed her phone call with then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on the day martial law was declared, stating it “lasted approximately 37 seconds” and was solely to apologize for canceling a scheduled meeting about relocating a local unit, a regional development issue.

“I had called first, but the call didn’t go through. Later, I received a return call from the minister,” said Cho. She also urged the public “to refrain from reckless speculation.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]