No way out except for impeaching the president
Published: 11 Dec. 2024, 19:07
Clearly, the only way to resolve this national confusion is impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol. Members of the People Power Party (PPP) effectively blocked the impeachment vote on Saturday by storming out of the National Assembly. But the governing party didn’t present a convincing road map for an orderly retreat of the president. In the meantime, law enforcement authorities are accelerating their investigations of the president on the suspicion of plotting a rebellion against the state.
If members of the governing party can’t even agree on what “orderly retreat” means, it can’t persuade the people to accept its blueprint for the president’s stepdown. The PPP should pass another impeachment motion this coming Saturday if it wants to take responsibility as the governing party. Its laid-back plan based on Yoon’s voluntary resignation between February and March and a presidential by-election in April or May can hardly convince the public.
The president directed the commander of the Special Forces to order his soldiers to break into the National Assembly and drag out all lawmakers inside. Even under martial law, a head of state is not authorized to stop the legislature’s function. That’s why Yoon is suspected of orchestrating a rebellion against the state — a crime deserving a death sentence or life imprisonment.
The general public can’t understand why such a president should keep his seat until March. Even if the president accepts the road map and hands over his power to the prime minister, it’s still unclear if the prime minister can really replace the president due to a lack of legal grounds. If the president changes his mind and wants to take power back, it will certainly cause national chaos.
The PPP must overcome the trauma after the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2016. But her suspicion of bribery is totally different from Yoon’s suspicion of rebellion. Several PPP members have already turned to vote for Yoon’s impeachment. The die is cast. If the party wants to buy time, it will only help destroy conservatism in Korea. We hope the PPP passes the impeachment motion on Saturday and resolves the crisis before it’s too late.
The majority Democratic Party (DP) is also liable for the ongoing national crisis, given its persistent impeachments of top government officials. The DP plans to impeach the justice minister this time — and the prime minister and the labor minister next time. Even if an early by-election is held, government ministers are essential to administering the by-election. If they are suspended from their jobs, their ministries cannot perform well. We urge the majority party to stop this suicidal self-harm.
If members of the governing party can’t even agree on what “orderly retreat” means, it can’t persuade the people to accept its blueprint for the president’s stepdown. The PPP should pass another impeachment motion this coming Saturday if it wants to take responsibility as the governing party. Its laid-back plan based on Yoon’s voluntary resignation between February and March and a presidential by-election in April or May can hardly convince the public.
The president directed the commander of the Special Forces to order his soldiers to break into the National Assembly and drag out all lawmakers inside. Even under martial law, a head of state is not authorized to stop the legislature’s function. That’s why Yoon is suspected of orchestrating a rebellion against the state — a crime deserving a death sentence or life imprisonment.
The general public can’t understand why such a president should keep his seat until March. Even if the president accepts the road map and hands over his power to the prime minister, it’s still unclear if the prime minister can really replace the president due to a lack of legal grounds. If the president changes his mind and wants to take power back, it will certainly cause national chaos.
The PPP must overcome the trauma after the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2016. But her suspicion of bribery is totally different from Yoon’s suspicion of rebellion. Several PPP members have already turned to vote for Yoon’s impeachment. The die is cast. If the party wants to buy time, it will only help destroy conservatism in Korea. We hope the PPP passes the impeachment motion on Saturday and resolves the crisis before it’s too late.
The majority Democratic Party (DP) is also liable for the ongoing national crisis, given its persistent impeachments of top government officials. The DP plans to impeach the justice minister this time — and the prime minister and the labor minister next time. Even if an early by-election is held, government ministers are essential to administering the by-election. If they are suspended from their jobs, their ministries cannot perform well. We urge the majority party to stop this suicidal self-harm.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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