A now-defunct minor opposition party said Monday it has asked the Constitutional Court to review its decision to disband it on grounds that it threatened South Korean democracy.

In the first ruling of its kind, the Constitutional Court ordered the dissolution of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) on Dec. 19, citing its plot for a rebellion. All five sitting lawmakers of the party immediately lost their seats in the parliament.

The decision was based on the assumption that Lee Seok-ki, one of the UPP lawmakers, planned to overthrow the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea.

In a ruling that apparently contradicts this assumption, however, the Supreme Court last month partially sided with Lee, finding him not guilty of plotting a rebellion but guilty of encouraging other members of his secret organization to do so. The top court said there was no proof that such an organization existed.

The UPP has latched onto this discrepancy as a basis for their request for retrial. Its legal representatives said they submitted the request earlier in the day.

"How the majority treats a minority shows how mature a democratic nation is," read the request. "It's about time that South Korea returned to being the mature democracy that it once was."

Last month, former UPP lawmakers filed a petition with the Seoul Administrative Court to reverse the constitutional ruling that resulted in their loss of parliamentary seats.

Those designated as members of Lee's secret organization also filed a damages suit against the Constitutional Court, saying they'd been falsely accused. (Yonhap)