KMT slams DPP for stance on South Korea martial law

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) on Wednesday (Dec. 4) for supporting martial law in South Korea and called on President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to apologize.

This criticism follows South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's announcement of emergency martial law Tuesday evening to eliminate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional system of freedom and democracy.

DPP posted on Threads, mentioning the KMT and Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) blocking the defense budget review while Taiwan resists the erosion of "evil forces." After deleting the post, the party denied supporting martial law, claiming it merely shared international developments and emphasized the importance of transitional justice.

KMT pointed out three contradictions in the DPP's statement. They argued that deleting the post showed inconsistent positions. If the DPP genuinely cared about transitional justice, it should not view South Korea's martial law as protecting the constitutional system. They also criticized the DPP for sharing the views of a minority in South Korea while ignoring the majority of 190 opposing legislators.

KMT preferred to focus on understanding the regional issues potentially arising from South Korea's situation and monitoring national security agencies to ensure the safety of Taiwanese people in South Korea. They criticized President Lai's leadership style for prioritizing the DPP over other parties and citizens and urged him to apologize promptly.

The KMT further questioned whether the DPP aims to establish a new party-state system in Taiwan, implying that they might use military force to take over if they cannot win the legislature through elections.