SEOUL — As the second anniversary of South Korea’s short-lived December 3 emergency martial law approaches, the conservative People Power Party (PPP) is once again embroiled in bitter internal feuding over whether to issue a formal party apology.

The renewed debate mirrors the political gridlock from last year, when deep factional divides left the party paralyzed. At the time, the floor leader offered a lukewarm expression of regret, while the party leadership flatly refused to apologize, a dynamic critics say is repeating itself almost identically.

The Constitutional Court previously ruled that the martial law decree constituted a grave violation of the constitutional order and a betrayal of public trust. Political analysts and the broader public have argued that the conservative bloc needs to demonstrate deep, unequivocal remorse to regain public confidence. However, fierce resistance from the party’s dominant faction has stalled any unified stance.

Representative Jang Dong-hyuk, a leading figure within the party's mainstream faction, strongly rejected the calls for an apology during a media appearance. He argued that expressing regret over the martial law would only fracture the conservative voter base and trigger a drop in approval ratings. Other party heavyweights echoed similar sentiments, dismissing the demand for an apology as a political trap set by the liberal opposition Democratic Party.

Critics, however, point out that despite claims from leadership that annual apologies are redundant, the party leadership never genuinely apologized during the first anniversary last year. While some leadership figures eventually conceded months later that the martial law was an inappropriate measure, they stopped short of severing political ties with former President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Public frustration has also been directed at the party’s legislative leadership. Hopes for a formal apology were briefly raised following media reports that Floor Leader Jung Jum-shik was reviewing an apology statement, but the leadership swiftly walked back the reports, drawing criticism for treating a matter of national democratic significance as a political trial balloon.

Observers note that unless the PPP decisively distances itself from the martial law legacy and issues a sincere, unreserved apology, the party will struggle to heal deep public distrust and overcome its ongoing leadership crisis.

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