No Legal Binding... The Opposition's Strategy to Push Through the Motion to Dismiss Park Jin

Opposition Plans to Handle Dismissal Motion in Plenary Session on 29th
Yoon Indicates Rejection, Saying "Park Jin Works Tirelessly for National Interest"
"If Vetoed, Must Explain Public's Concerns Like 'Private Remarks'"

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering opening remarks at the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Ju-hee] The Democratic Party of Korea plans to push forward with the plenary session vote on the motion to dismiss Foreign Minister Park Jin on the 29th, holding him accountable for the controversy that arose during President Yoon Seok-yeol's overseas trip. Although the dismissal motion has no legal binding force even if proposed, the Democratic Party believes it can serve as a means of pressure against the government and the ruling party. Given the largely negative public opinion surrounding this controversy, if the dismissal motion passes, it is expected to place a significant burden on President Yoon's administration.

The Democratic Party held a party meeting on the 27th and decided as a party stance to propose the dismissal motion against Minister Park. The party holds the position that Minister Park, as the responsible minister, must be held accountable for the controversies that occurred during President Yoon's visits to the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.

Park Hong-geun, the floor leader, stated at a joint meeting of standing committee secretaries held at the National Assembly, "We will process the motion to dismiss Foreign Minister Park Jin at today's plenary session," adding, "It is the National Assembly's duty to check and the opposition party's responsibility to hold accountable the minister responsible for the government's total incompetence, hasty diplomacy, humiliating empty-handed diplomacy, and the president's verbal disasters that have damaged national dignity, harmed national interests, and deceived the people, on behalf of the citizens."

Considering the Democratic Party's number of seats, the dismissal motion against Minister Park is expected to pass smoothly in the plenary session. A motion to dismiss a cabinet member requires the support of at least one-third (100 members) of the total members to propose and a majority (150 members) to pass. With 169 seats, the Democratic Party can pass it on its own.

However, the dismissal motion is merely a recommendation and has no legal binding force. President Yoon may exercise his veto power. The likelihood of President Yoon accepting the dismissal motion against Minister Park is low. On the morning of the same day, during a door-stepping at the Yongsan Presidential Office, President Yoon expressed a negative stance on the dismissal motion, saying, "Minister Park is a person with outstanding abilities who travels tirelessly around the world for national interests to the point of worrying about his health."

President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the morning of the 29th and is answering questions from reporters. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Nevertheless, the Democratic Party views the passage of the dismissal motion in the National Assembly alone as a card to pressure the presidential office. Not accepting a matter resolved through proper parliamentary procedures inevitably becomes a significant political burden for the president. Especially given the strong negative public opinion regarding the controversy during the overseas trip.

It is also noteworthy that out of the six cases in the history of the National Assembly where motions to dismiss cabinet members were passed, five ministers resigned from their posts. The six cases are: Minister of Agriculture Lim Cheol-ho (1955), Minister of Education Kwon Oh-byeong (1969), Minister of Home Affairs Oh Chi-seong (1971), Minister of Unification Lim Dong-won (2001), Minister of Government Administration and Home Affairs Kim Doo-kwan (2003), and Minister of Agriculture Kim Jae-soo (2016). Except for Minister Kim Jae-soo, all resigned after the dismissal motions passed. The dismissal motion against Minister Kim was nullified when former President Park Geun-hye exercised her veto. On the 28th, Jin Sung-jun, the Democratic Party's deputy floor leader, appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" and referred to these past cases, warning, "If President Yoon does not accept the dismissal motion against Minister Park, he will face even greater public criticism."

Choi Jin, director of the Presidential Leadership Research Institute, commented, "It seems excessive for the opposition party to try to pass a dismissal motion beyond merely criticizing Minister Park. However, President Yoon also failed to provide sufficient explanations regarding the controversy over his private remarks," adding, "His ambiguous stance of neither denying nor admitting is hard to accept. Overall, it shows the presidential office's lack of crisis management capability." He continued, "It seems President Yoon will veto the dismissal motion against Minister Park, but if so, he must explain the reasons for exercising the veto and clearly clarify the facts related to the controversy."