A reckless impeachment from the start

The Constitutional Court has dismissed the first-ever legislative motion to impeach an incumbent government minister for the deaths of 159 young people from the crush in Itaewon over Halloween last October. The court delivered the judgment 167 days after the National Assembly, dominated by the Democratic Party (DP), passed an impeachment motion for Lee Sang-min, the minister of the interior and safety. After having been suspended from his job for a while, Lee immediately returned to work on Tuesday. He expressed regrets over a fierce political battle which led to his months-long suspension from the position in the government.

In a majority opinion, the court ruled that the minister didn’t violate the disaster and safety act or the national civil servant act during the Itaewon disaster. The court also said that the minister hardly violated his constitutional duty to protect people’s basic rights. In a minority view, however, the court admitted that there is some room for his violation of the duty of faithful compliance with the civil servant act.

The court ruling shows that the impeachment motion pushed by the DP in February was over the top from the start. Despite strong opposition from the governing People Power Party (PPP), the DP and two other opposition parties passed the impeachment motion. The legislature approved presidential impeachment twice in Korea, but passing an impeachment motion for a government minister is a first.

A legislative endorsement of an impeachment of high-level officials must meet a condition. He or she must have committed a grave violation of the Constitution or the law, to the level of deserving an expulsion from officialdom. But in the case of the Itaewon tragedy, Lee’s direct accountability for the mishap could hardly be found. Some of DP lawmakers also demanded a prudent approach to the impeachment, but the party leadership pressed ahead with it.

But the minister must solemnly accept what the court said. In a press briefing held shortly after the tragedy, Lee had said, “The disaster could not have been avoided even if police officers or firemen had been dispatched in advance.” This time, the court found fault with his “inappropriate comment” at the time.

The government and the PPP must not forget that the court’s decision does not exempt them from political and moral responsibility for the tragedy. The Itaewon disaster affirmed the malfunctioning of national systems for public safety. The minister must do his best to prevent any similar mishaps in the future and facilitate flood recovery as the minister in charge for now.