[Politics, That Day...] Lee Nak-yeon Who Survived the 2004 'Impeachment Tsunami'

One Month Before the 17th General Election, National Assembly Votes on Presidential Impeachment... Lee Nak-yeon Votes Against Impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeongmin Ryu] ‘Politics, That Day…’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to notable scenes, events, and figures.

Sim Jae-cheol, floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 11th and delivering a speech. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

“If even a slight involvement of President Moon Jae-in is revealed, we will push for his impeachment.” On the 10th, Sim Jae-cheol, floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party, said this at the Supreme Council meeting. The keyword ‘impeachment’ has once again become a focus in the political arena.

Of course, this does not mean immediate execution. It is practically impossible to secure the two-thirds majority of lawmakers required to pass an impeachment motion in the 20th National Assembly. Sim’s political timetable is set after the April 15th 21st general election and the inauguration of the new National Assembly at the end of May.

The reason for bringing up the difficult-to-execute impeachment keyword is intertwined with political calculation. It means rallying supporters who favor President Moon’s impeachment to leverage votes in the general election. The appearance of the impeachment keyword ahead of the general election is a scene seen many times before.

March 12, 2004, is an unforgettable day in Korean political history. Just one month before the 17th general election, the National Assembly attempted to impeach President Roh Moo-hyun, whose term was nearing its end. It was an attempt to change presidential power by relying on the strength of the legislature. What was the outcome?

The atmosphere around the parliament on March 12 was heavy. The result was predetermined. Due to the overwhelming difference in the number of seats and the absence of the National Assembly Advancement Act at the time, the outcome of clashes (including physical fights) among lawmakers was obvious. The seats held by the Uri Party were insufficient to block the joint operation of the Grand National Party and the Millennium Democratic Party. At that time, the Uri Party was a mini ruling party that split from the Millennium Democratic Party. The Democratic Party, along with the Grand National Party, led the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun.

Yeouido National Assembly Building.

Uri Party lawmakers occupied the area around the Speaker’s chair. After members of the Grand National Party and the Democratic Party entered the plenary session hall, a tense atmosphere that could explode at any moment prevailed. Park Kwan-yong, then Speaker of the National Assembly, entered under the protection of the parliamentary security officers. After the Speaker’s authority to maintain order was invoked, loud voices and sobbing continued inside the plenary hall. The resisting Uri Party lawmakers were dragged out of the plenary hall.

Uri Party lawmakers had no proper means of resistance other than shouting and crying. The vote on the impeachment motion against President Roh Moo-hyun ended in less than an hour. Some Grand National Party lawmakers cast their votes while in wheelchairs. Reflecting the will of the majority of lawmakers, the impeachment motion against President Roh Moo-hyun was passed.

Immediately after the impeachment motion was passed, the leadership of the Grand National Party and the Democratic Party did not hide their joy of victory. Could they not predict what kind of conclusion the sweet victory would lead to? The image of lawmakers, whose terms were about to expire, trying to remove the president just one month before the general election was a variable that decisively affected the election landscape.

The scene of the impeachment motion against President Roh Moo-hyun in March 2004. Photo by Yonhap News

Before the National Assembly passed the presidential impeachment motion, public opinion was more opposed to impeachment, with ratios of 7 to 3 and then 6 to 4. It was a clash between the will of the majority of the public and that of the majority of lawmakers. March 2004 was just one year after President Roh Moo-hyun took office. When an event occurred that suspended the president’s authority after just over a year in office, public sentiment was shaken.

At the time the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion, President Roh Moo-hyun was visiting a factory in Gyeongnam. While having lunch with factory workers, President Roh said, “I hope that even a few months from now, I will still be able to fulfill the promises I made to you as president.”

After that day, President Roh’s duties were suspended. The turmoil spread beyond Yeouido to all parts of the country. How did the impeachment leaders fare in the general election? In the 17th general election on April 15, 2004, the Uri Party won a majority with 152 seats and became the largest party in the National Assembly.

The Grand National Party’s seats were reduced to 121. Although the worst-case scenario was avoided, it was a defeat unimaginable just before the impeachment motion passed on March 12. The Democratic Party won only 9 seats, including 5 constituency seats and 4 proportional representation seats. All constituency seats were in Honam. The results in the Seoul metropolitan area were disastrous. The political damage to the Democratic Party, which participated in the impeachment alongside the Grand National Party, was much greater.

At that time, the Democratic Party was completely defeated in its political strongholds of Gwangju and Jeonbuk. It produced 5 constituency winners only in Jeonnam. The main figures were Representative Lee Sang-ryeol (Mokpo), Representative Kim Hyo-seok (Damyang-Gokseong-Jangseong), Representative Lee Jeong-il (Haenam-Jindo), Representative Han Hwa-gap (Muan-Shinan), and Representative Lee Nak-yeon (Hampyeong-Yeonggwang).

Lee Nak-yeon, who served as spokesperson for President Roh Moo-hyun’s election and was the first Prime Minister under President Moon Jae-in, was a member of the Democratic Party during the turbulent days of Yeouido in March 2004. Although Lee chose to remain in the Democratic Party during the Uri Party split, his political stance was not much different from that of the participatory government.

Why did Representative Lee Nak-yeon survive amid the Democratic Party’s crushing defeat? Only two people voted against the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun, and one of them was politician Lee Nak-yeon. Although his party affiliation was Democratic Party, he was a representative politician who resisted the leadership attempting to impeach President Roh Moo-hyun.