PPP torn over Yoon exit plans as calls for immediate impeachment grow

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PPP torn over Yoon exit plans as calls for immediate impeachment grow

Published: 09 Dec. 2024, 18:51 Updated: 09 Dec. 2024, 20:39

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

President Yoon Suk Yeol makes a public apology for causing public concerns with his short-lived martial law declaration earlier in the week in a televised address from the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Saturday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

The president's conservative People Power Party (PPP) is grappling with internal divisions after announcing a vague "orderly exit" plan for President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The plan, unveiled amid public outrage over Yoon's botched martial law declaration on Tuesday, drew criticism as public demands for the president's impeachment grow louder.

A series of closed-door PPP meetings, including a supreme council session, were held Monday, but no concrete decisions were reached regarding the timeline of methods for Yoon’s departure, according to local media reports.

PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said Sunday that Yoon can "no longer effectively govern" and thus "must step down.” He added that Yoon would refrain from participating in state affairs before his resignation, including foreign policy and military command.

Speaking in a public address hours before Saturday's parliamentary vote on his impeachment, Yoon said he would “leave measures, including my remaining term in office, entirely up to my party.”

The PPP's proposal is based on Article 86, Clause 2 of the Constitution, which states, “The prime minister shall assist the president and direct the executive ministries under order of the president." Under this plan, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would take over Yoon’s administrative authority.

Korea has a precedent from November 2016 during the Choi Soon-sil scandal, when former President Park Geun-hye was forced out of office due to influence-peddling committed by her confidant and unofficial adviser, Choi Soon-sil. At the time, then-Democratic Party leader Moon Jae-in, along with 47 lawmakers, called on Park to transfer full authority to a prime minister agreed upon by the National Assembly and step back from state affairs.

People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon, right, looks at Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as they deliver a joint public address at the PPP's headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sunday, one day after the parliamentary vote to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his martial law imposition failed. [YONHAP]

The PPP’s resignation scenarios include constitutional amendments to shorten Yoon’s term and a shift to a prime ministerial system.

Pro-Han figures within the PPP are pressing for Yoon’s immediate resignation.

Kim Jong-hyuk, a member of the party's supreme council, in an interview with local radio station MBC, explained that Han supports "resignation" over impeachment, urging the party to outline a detailed resignation plan. Kim criticized pro-Yoon lawmakers who are against an early resignation, arguing that proposals to extend Yoon’s term by one or two years are “out of touch with public sentiment.”

Shin Ji-ho, the PPP’s deputy chief of strategic planning, argued that an organized resignation within six months to a year would "ensure social stability" compared to the uncertainty of impeachment.

Many senior pro-Yoon lawmakers favor tying Yoon’s resignation to constitutional amendments, such as shortening his term with a timeline coinciding with the next local elections in 2026 or later.

While resignation would trigger an election within 60 days, impeachment could delay the process by 180 days.

However, with ongoing investigations into Yoon’s alleged involvement in insurrection and mounting opposition pressure, the party faces growing demands to present a detailed resignation timeline before the second impeachment vote on Dec. 14.

The PPP’s stance on participating in the second impeachment vote remains unclear.

Pro-Yoon factions advocate for abstaining from the second impeachment vote, following the party's walkout from the first motion vote on Saturday, while pro-Han lawmakers argue that blocking participation is impractical and that they cannot rule out the possibility of the impeachment motion passing.

Scenarios for President Yoon Suk Yeol's "orderly exit" [NAM JUNG-HYUN]

Some members have expressed concerns that the vote could pass if the party does not take a clear stance.

Kim warned on CBS Radio that “it will not be easy for the entire party to continue abstaining” and urged the president’s office to clarify its resignation timeline.

Amid the turmoil, the Defense Ministry clarified on Monday that President Yoon retains full authority as commander in chief of the military. A defense spokesperson added, "There have been no changes to the authority to declare martial law.”

This contradicts Han’s earlier remarks that Yoon would refrain from exercising military command.

In addition, on Sunday, Yoon accepted the resignation of Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, prompting sharp criticism from the Democratic Party (DP), which accused Yoon of exercising his powers despite being under investigation for insurrection, describing Han’s claims that Yoon will step back as “blatant lies.”

Han defended the president’s actions, stating they could not be considered “active engagement in state affairs.”

The PPP on Monday formed a governance stabilization task force to discuss Yoon's "orderly exit" with options such as reducing Yoon’s term, early resignation or immediate departure from office.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]