Present a timetable for the president’s retreat
Published: 08 Dec. 2024, 19:39
Updated: 09 Dec. 2024, 10:40
A motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol was voted down on Saturday after members of the governing People Power Party (PPP) abstained from voting. PPP leader Han Dong-hoon had insisted on the unconstitutionality of Yoon’s declaration of martial law on Tuesday, but he shunned voting at the last minute. PPP lawmakers even stormed out of the National Assembly for fear of any votes supporting the impeachment. An earlier re-vote on the special motion to investigate the first lady’s power abuse was barely voted down.
In Sunday’s joint statement amid the repercussions of the botched impeachment, Han and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo pledged to push for “an early retreat of the president in an orderly manner,” accentuating the need for Yoon “to step down and not handle diplomacy and national governance even before his resignation.”
But the plan lacks a solid legal basis as the Constitution allows an acting president to replace the president only when he or she can’t serve as head of state due to a vacancy of their seat from accidents. But the current situation can hardly be deemed such a case.
There’s no guarantee of the president keeping a low profile, either. In a speech on Saturday, Yoon attributed his declaration of martial law to the “desperation he felt as commander in chief” without any reflection on what really went wrong.
Even after the martial law was lifted, Yoon still exercises his authorities to appoint government officials, including his approval of the resignation of the interior minister on Sunday and his nomination of the ambassador to Saudi Arabia as new defense minister on Thursday. How can we block the president from exercising his rights as head of state under ambiguous legal grounds for banning him from using his privileges?
Would the president still veto contentious bills being pushed by the majority Democratic Party (DP) even after he was ousted from his role as president? In that case, the DP could impeach the prime minister and other ministers.
The “orderly retreat” of the president will be possible only when it is backed by the public and the majority opposition. What matters is Yoon’s clear explanation of his own future. With uncertainties remaining over his future path, the DP or the public wouldn’t support his “orderly retreat.”
The DP has decided to revote on another motion to impeach the president Wednesday. If the prime minister and the PPP leader cannot present a timetable for an agreeable retreat of the president, it will only fuel chaos. There’s no doubt about it.
In Sunday’s joint statement amid the repercussions of the botched impeachment, Han and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo pledged to push for “an early retreat of the president in an orderly manner,” accentuating the need for Yoon “to step down and not handle diplomacy and national governance even before his resignation.”
But the plan lacks a solid legal basis as the Constitution allows an acting president to replace the president only when he or she can’t serve as head of state due to a vacancy of their seat from accidents. But the current situation can hardly be deemed such a case.
There’s no guarantee of the president keeping a low profile, either. In a speech on Saturday, Yoon attributed his declaration of martial law to the “desperation he felt as commander in chief” without any reflection on what really went wrong.
Even after the martial law was lifted, Yoon still exercises his authorities to appoint government officials, including his approval of the resignation of the interior minister on Sunday and his nomination of the ambassador to Saudi Arabia as new defense minister on Thursday. How can we block the president from exercising his rights as head of state under ambiguous legal grounds for banning him from using his privileges?
Would the president still veto contentious bills being pushed by the majority Democratic Party (DP) even after he was ousted from his role as president? In that case, the DP could impeach the prime minister and other ministers.
The “orderly retreat” of the president will be possible only when it is backed by the public and the majority opposition. What matters is Yoon’s clear explanation of his own future. With uncertainties remaining over his future path, the DP or the public wouldn’t support his “orderly retreat.”
The DP has decided to revote on another motion to impeach the president Wednesday. If the prime minister and the PPP leader cannot present a timetable for an agreeable retreat of the president, it will only fuel chaos. There’s no doubt about it.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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