Impeachment crisis looms as DP leads charge against Yoon

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Impeachment crisis looms as DP leads charge against Yoon

Published: 05 Dec. 2024, 11:08 Updated: 05 Dec. 2024, 18:04

SEO JI-EUN
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

The president's People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon speaks during a Supreme Council meeting on Thursday at the National Assembly in western Seoul. [JEON MIN-GYU]

Korea is seeing its first major impeachment crisis in eight years, as opposition parties begin impeachment proceedings and nationwide protests continue against President Yoon Suk Yeol over his emergency martial law declaration — reminiscent of the 2016 impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.

Rival parties in Korea are at odds over President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of emergency martial law, with both sides condemning the decision but taking divergent positions on impeachment on Thursday. The impeachment motion against President Yoon will be put to a vote at the National Assembly this Saturday evening.

The president's conservative People Power Party (PPP) leader, Han Dong-hoon, opposed the impeachment motion against Yoon, citing concerns over public harm and political instability.

“As party leader, I will strive to ensure that this impeachment does not pass to prevent harm to the public and supporters from unprepared chaos,” Han said during a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly.

Han, who addressed Yoon's impeachment plan publicly for the first time, said that his stance was not an attempt to justify the president’s unconstitutional actions.

“From the very beginning, I stood with the public’s anger and patriotism over this situation, and I will continue to do so,” he said, adding that those responsible, including Yoon, must face "strict accountability" for unsettling the public.

Six opposition parties, led by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), submitted Yoon's impeachment motion early Thursday morning. The motion must be voted on within 24 to 72 hours after its submission according to constitutional law.

PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho reinforced Han’s position, pledging to unite the party’s 108 lawmakers to ensure the motion’s defeat.

“This marks the 23rd impeachment motion under the Yoon administration, and it is disheartening,” Choo said, who added that “the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye left South Korea deeply divided” and that “another impeachment of the president would repeat a historical tragedy.”

Choo also apologized for the public confusion caused by the declaration of martial law, saying, “As the president's party floor leader, I deeply regret that this situation has caused shock and concern among the public.”

Yoon defended his decision during a meeting with PPP leader Han, claiming that martial law was necessary due to the DP’s “reckless provocations.”

Han noted a significant disconnect between the President’s perception and that of the public, calling the situation “difficult to empathize with.”

The liberal Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Supreme Council meeting on Thursday at the National Assembly in western Seoul. [JEON MIN-GYU]

DP leader Lee Jae-myung condemned the martial law as a “royalist coup attempt” aimed at consolidating absolute power.

“Yoon sought to turn himself into an absolute monarch by taking control of all constitutional and state institutions,” Lee said during a supreme council meeting.

Lee said that impeachment was essential to prevent future abuse of power.

“We must ensure that the royalist coup that has risen from the grave is sent back to its tomb and sealed from resurrection,” he said.

Lee also criticized the PPP leader for failing to respond to his requests for dialogue, urging him to "take historical responsibility."

“Even if the PPP chooses to align itself with a criminal group, it is the leader’s duty to correct this course,” Lee said, adding, “He should become an accomplice to treason.”

The DP-controlled National Assembly also railroaded the passage of impeachment motions against Chief State Auditor Choe Jae-hae and three top prosecutors on Thursday, citing their roles in investigations into controversies surrounding the presidential office and First Lady Kim Keon-hee. It is the first time a BAI chief has been impeached by parliament.

A civic group holds a press conference in front of the People Power Party's Daegu office in Suseong District, urging the party to support the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. [NEWS1]

The impeachment motion against Yoon, if passed, would require a two-thirds majority, or 200 votes out of the Assembly’s 300 members. While the opposition bloc holds 192 votes, including 108 from the PPP, they would need at least eight PPP lawmakers to break ranks for the motion to succeed.

The DP also plans to simultaneously vote on a special counsel bill targeting the first lady during Saturday’s session, aiming to prevent PPP lawmakers from boycotting the vote.

"We will proceed with the impeachment vote against President Yoon around 7 p.m. on Dec. 7,” Jo Seoung-lae, the DP’s chief spokesperson, told the press after the Supreme Council. “We need to allow the public ample time to assess the impeachment motion ... and to provide members of the PPP sufficient time to deliberate on the unconstitutional and illegal acts of rebellion or coup d'état."

If the impeachment motion against Yoon passes, he will be suspended from his duties, with the prime minister serving as acting president. The Constitutional Court would make the final decision on whether to formally remove him from office.

However, the current Constitutional Court faces challenges, with three of its nine seats currently vacant.

According to the law, at least seven justices must preside over an impeachment case, and six votes are required to uphold the motion. Yet, the provision mandating a minimum of seven justices for deliberation has been temporarily suspended, adding another layer of uncertainty to the process.

Still, some experts raised concerns over the court's ability to deliver a timely ruling and the potential for post-ruling debates over the decision's legitimacy.

Update Dec. 5: Added details about the impeachment vote against President Yoon.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]