"Direct Contradiction to the Purpose of the National Assembly Act on Neutrality"... Resolution Submitted to Urge Speaker's Resignation
Park Jin: "Now Is the Time to Think About National Interest, Not Political Strife"
Ruling and Opposition Parties Fail to Cooperate... Ruling Party Absent from National Assembly Steering Committee Meeting
Foreign Minister Park Jin is arriving at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 30th. The National Assembly passed a motion to dismiss Minister Park on the 29th. This is the seventh dismissal motion passed against a Cabinet member in history and the first dismissal motion approved against a Cabinet member under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporters Inho Yoo and Jieun Lee] The aftermath of the motion to dismiss Foreign Minister Park Jin is shaking the political landscape. After the Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally passed the motion to dismiss Minister Park in the plenary session, the People Power Party retaliated by submitting a resolution urging the resignation of the National Assembly Speaker. Following the passage of the motion, Minister Park stated, "I will listen to the opposition party's criticism," but strongly emphasized that he could not agree with the characterization of the recent presidential overseas trip as a 'diplomatic disaster,' calling it "denigration." The confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties is expected to intensify during the upcoming National Assembly audit starting early next month.
On the morning of the 30th, Song Eon-seok, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, along with floor spokespersons Kim Mi-ae and Jang Dong-hyuk, submitted a resolution to the National Assembly Secretariat calling for the resignation of Speaker Kim Jin-pyo. Speaking to reporters, Song explained the reason for the submission, saying, "Speaker Kim unilaterally agreed to change the agenda without proper consultation with the People Power Party regarding the Democratic Party's motion to dismiss Minister Park, directly contradicting the principle of neutrality as stipulated in the National Assembly Act."
In the plenary session the previous day, the Democratic Party labeled President Yoon's first overseas trip as a 'diplomatic disaster' and held Minister Park accountable. Through a change in the agenda, the motion to dismiss Minister Park was tabled and passed with 168 out of 170 members present voting in favor. During this process, Speaker Kim was criticized for not mediating between the ruling and opposition parties and only listening to the Democratic Party's claims before putting the motion on the agenda.
Song, the senior deputy floor leader, said, "Traditionally, on days when the floor leaders give their speeches, contentious issues have never been put on the agenda even once. However, regarding this highly contentious issue between the ruling and opposition parties, the Speaker did not mediate until the end and put the motion to dismiss on the agenda as the Democratic Party wished. Our party believes that the Speaker is unable to properly perform his duties, which is why we submitted the resolution urging his resignation."
Minister Park also disagreed with the Democratic Party's assessment of the trip as a 'diplomatic disaster' and rebutted. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul, he told reporters, "The opposition party is denigrating the president's overseas trip as a diplomatic disaster, but I cannot agree with that. I feel deeply troubled about how our politics have come to this state. I have lost sleep over the past few days." He reaffirmed his stance expressed the previous day, saying, "Now is not the time for political strife but to consider national interests. In that sense, as the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I intend to do my best in fulfilling my duties."
After the passage of the motion to dismiss, the Democratic Party escalated its offensive. Floor leader Park Hong-geun criticized at an on-site supreme council meeting held in Jeonnam, saying, "The Speaker's mediation asking for the withdrawal of the motion if the Foreign Minister apologizes and the president's aides take personnel action is reasonable and common sense," but "President Yoon rejected it, and the People Power Party responded with brazen intimidation." He added, "The motion to dismiss was passed according to the National Assembly Act. If there is any minimum sincerity, it must be accepted."
The Democratic Party even mentioned the passage of the motion to dismiss then-Minister of the Interior and Safety Kim Du-kwan 19 years ago. Kim, currently a member of the Democratic Party, posted on his Facebook immediately after the passage of Minister Park's dismissal motion, saying, "Personally, I have special feelings. Nineteen years ago, in September 2003, the Grand National Party unilaterally passed a motion to dismiss then-Minister of the Interior and Safety Kim Du-kwan." At that time, the spokesperson for the Grand National Party was Minister Park.
When asked if Minister Park's position had changed, Floor Leader Joo Ho-young said, "If Minister Kim Du-kwan had not agreed at the time, he would not have resigned," adding, "Although it is the same motion to dismiss, the circumstances are different."
As the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties continues, expectations for cooperation are fading. Earlier, the leaders of both parties had unanimously called for cooperation during their floor leader speeches. The ruling party did not attend the full meeting of the National Assembly Steering Committee convened at the opposition's request that day. Floor Leader Joo said, "Since there was no agreement on the agenda, it will be difficult to proceed with the meeting."
The Presidential Office has not issued an official statement regarding the passage of the motion to dismiss Minister Park. However, President Yoon hinted at the possibility of exercising a veto, saying the previous day, "The people will clearly know what is right and wrong." When asked if Minister Park had spoken with President Yoon after the motion passed, he replied, "Yes," but added, "I cannot disclose the contents of the conversation."
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