Jinseongjun: "Cannot Rule Out the Possibility of Proposing 'Sangmin Lee Impeachment'"

"Impeachment Motion Proposed in One Shot... Planning to Decide Through Party Meeting"
Joo Ho-young "Difficult to Compromise Budget While Impeachment Motion Is Pending"

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 24th of last month, and is conversing with Jin Sung-jun, chief deputy floor leader. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Jin Seong-jun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 5th that the Democratic Party might not submit a dismissal recommendation against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, and that the possibility of directly filing an impeachment motion cannot be ruled out. The People Power Party has previously stated that if an impeachment motion is filed, budget negotiations could become difficult.

Jin, the Democratic Party’s deputy floor leader, said in an interview with SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' on the morning of the same day regarding the impeachment motion against Minister Lee, "The possibility cannot be ruled out," adding, "We will hold a party meeting to gather the party’s consensus and make a decision." He continued, "Originally, the Democratic Party intended to first pass a dismissal recommendation to prompt President Yoon Seok-yeol to make a decision regarding Minister Lee Sang-min, but the plenary sessions on the 1st and 2nd did not take place."

Regarding the mention of the impeachment motion, Jin explained, "Until the remaining regular session ends on December 9, there are two plenary sessions on the 8th and 9th where the dismissal recommendation could be processed, but even if it is processed, the likelihood that President Yoon Seok-yeol will accept it is very low."

However, Jin added, "There is also an opinion that it might be appropriate to immediately file an impeachment motion that can suspend Minister Lee Sang-min’s duties, so we plan to hold a party meeting to consider both scenarios (dismissal recommendation and impeachment motion) and ultimately gather the party’s consensus to decide."

He further said, "There are still members within the party who think that rather than pushing for a forced resolution, it would be better in terms of justification and public perception to give President Yoon Seok-yeol one more chance," adding, "Ultimately, whether to proceed in two stages or to file the impeachment motion in one shot will be decided through the party meeting."

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is reviewing materials at the 'Cargo Solidarity, Itaewon Accident, and COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting' held on the 2nd at the Seoul Situation Center in the Government Seoul Office Building. Photo by Yonhap News

The People Power Party has expressed a negative stance, saying that if the Democratic Party files an impeachment motion against Minister Lee, budget negotiations could become difficult. On the 4th, Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the People Power Party, appeared on 'KBS Sunday Diagnosis Live' and said, "From various meetings with the Democratic Party, I understand that they now intend to file an impeachment motion targeting the 8th or 9th and cancel the dismissal recommendation," adding, "They will likely file the impeachment motion before the 8th or 9th, and I believe it will be difficult to reach a budget compromise while the impeachment motion is pending."

When asked about the budget dispute, Floor Leader Joo claimed, "The Democratic Party has a budget they want to push through as if they were in power, and since the regime has changed, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is trying to actively implement its agenda, but the Democratic Party is using its number of seats to block everything, which causes conflict."

Regarding the Democratic Party’s criticism that the People Power Party is neglecting its parliamentary duties to so-called 'protect Minister Lee Sang-min,' he said, "We have no reason to protect this minister," adding, "We want to ensure that past failures like the Sewol ferry incident are not repeated by conducting accurate investigations and parliamentary audits before holding anyone accountable."