Motion to Dismiss Park Jin Passed in Plenary Session with 168 of 170 Votes in Favor (Comprehensive)

Tense 'Picket Protest' Standoff Before Plenary Session Start
Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Through Procedural Speeches
168 Votes in Favor, 1 Against, 1 Abstention Out of 170 Votes

Jin Jeong-seok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is delivering a negotiation group representative speech at the National Assembly plenary session on the 29th. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The motion to dismiss Foreign Minister Park Jin was passed in the National Assembly plenary session on the 29th amid a boycott by People Power Party lawmakers.

Kim Jin-pyo, Speaker of the National Assembly, announced after the vote in the plenary session, "The motion to dismiss Foreign Minister Park Jin has been approved with 168 votes in favor, 1 against, and 1 abstention out of a total of 170 votes."

Before the plenary session began that day, People Power Party lawmakers protested in front of the plenary hall holding placards with messages such as "Kim Jin-pyo, Speaker of the National Assembly, and the Democratic Party, stop anti-democratic and anti-parliamentary obstruction of state affairs," "Withdraw the dismissal motion immediately," "Destroying cooperation, parliamentary outrage," "Strongly condemn the duty of neutrality violation," and "Wake up, Democratic Party, ignoring people’s livelihood and provoking political strife."

Song Eon-seok, Senior Deputy Floor Leader of the People Power Party, raised his voice during a parliamentary procedure speech, saying, "What did Minister Park do wrong? If there had been any illegal or unlawful acts, impeachment would have been pursued." He added, "When President Moon Jae-in ate eight out of ten meals alone in China, what were you doing?" He also said, "Who was it that ruined Korea-Japan relations by mentioning the 'death song' and destroyed the Korea-US-Japan trilateral cooperation system?"

When the time for the parliamentary procedure speech exceeded the limit and the microphone was turned off, Democratic Party lawmakers chanted phrases reminiscent of the controversy over President Yoon’s vulgar language, demanding an "apology for the curse words." Speaker Kim requested, "Please listen attentively to the remarks of the member giving the parliamentary procedure speech." After Song’s remarks ended, People Power Party lawmakers left the plenary hall.

Following this, Wi Seong-gon, Senior Deputy Floor Leader of the Democratic Party, who gave a parliamentary procedure speech, countered, saying, "President Yoon’s overseas diplomatic tours have been a total failure, damaging the nation’s dignity and harming national interests in an unprecedented diplomatic disaster." He added, "Minister Park not only showed total incompetence as the responsible minister but also bears heavy responsibility for failing to prevent President Yoon’s diplomatic disaster."

After a change in parliamentary procedure, the motion to dismiss Minister Park was put to a secret ballot and passed with 168 votes in favor out of 170 members present. People Power Party lawmakers continued their placard protest in front of the plenary hall during the vote.