Park Hong-geun "The Responsibility of the Majority"
Submission by the Three Opposition Parties to the National Assembly, Reported in the Plenary Session
Ruling Party "Does Not Meet Impeachment Requirements"
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Democratic Party of Korea has reached a party consensus to file an impeachment motion against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min in connection with the Itaewon tragedy. The three opposition parties (Democratic Party, Justice Party, Basic Income Party) jointly submitted the impeachment motion to the National Assembly Secretariat on the afternoon of the 6th to report it at the plenary session of the National Assembly.
Park Hong-geun, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said in a briefing after the party members' meeting on the morning of the same day, "The Democratic Party has decided to file an impeachment motion against Minister Lee as a party consensus today to hold him accountable for the Itaewon tragedy, to uphold the values of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, to heed the will of the people, and to fulfill the responsibilities of the National Assembly."
At the members' meeting that day, the party leadership reported that the majority of the party members supported pushing for the impeachment of Minister Lee. Floor spokesperson Lee Su-jin explained, "Except for one member who expressed concerns toward the end of the meeting, all members gave their opinions to proceed together, including reviewing the contents of the impeachment motion."
The leadership had been conducting a process of gathering opinions from party members and the public. Floor leader Park said, "After the last members' meeting, we collected opinions individually through phone calls and interviews with members, and over the weekend, we conducted opinion gathering via mobile," adding, "An overwhelming majority of members expressed that impeachment is absolutely necessary or unavoidable." He also mentioned the public opinion poll results, saying, "Compared to last week, there was more than a 5% increase, especially among the moderate group, in opinions supporting impeachment."
Regarding this decision, he explained, "Although this was a major disaster with 159 innocent victims, the government did not responsibly apologize for the problem nor step down," and added, "We hoped Minister Lee would take responsibility and resign voluntarily, but he refused nonetheless." He continued, "We have waited long enough, and now we believe it is time to resolve this issue."
Park emphasized that motions for dismissal or impeachment are "a sacred constitutional spirit and a responsibility of the National Assembly," stating, "It is the duty of the Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the National Assembly, to hold Minister Lee accountable following the procedures prescribed by the Constitution and the National Assembly Act."
Regarding concerns that the impeachment motion against Minister Lee might be dismissed by the Constitutional Court, he explained, "During the 2004 impeachment process of former President Roh Moo-hyun, the Constitutional Court ruled that unlike the president, other public officials could be dismissed without causing significant problems," adding, "For political appointees such as ministers and vice ministers, replacements can be made, so considering the usual one-year term and the clear violation of the Constitution and laws, as well as weighing the pros and cons of dismissal, we believe the Constitutional Court can sufficiently accept this case."
On the afternoon of the same day, Democratic Party lawmakers Park Ju-min (head of the Itaewon Tragedy Countermeasures Headquarters) and Kim Seung-won (party legal committee chairman), Justice Party lawmaker Jang Hye-young, and Basic Income Party co-representative Yong Hye-in jointly submitted the impeachment motion to the National Assembly Secretariat as a joint proposal of the three opposition parties. The three opposition parties plan to report this motion at the plenary session of the National Assembly in the afternoon and submit it as an agenda item. Lawmaker Jang said, "The Justice Party has consistently stated since the early stages of the tragedy that Minister Lee, as the Minister of the Interior and Safety responsible for life and safety, should be held accountable, and that before legal responsibility, he should have resigned or been dismissed for political and moral responsibility." Lawmaker Yong also added, "If one fails to fulfill their duties, it is only natural to take responsibility."
In response, the People Power Party criticized Minister Lee, arguing that he does not meet the requirements for impeachment and claimed that the Democratic Party would face a huge backlash the moment the Constitutional Court dismisses the motion. Emergency Response Committee Chairman Jeong Jin-seok wrote on Facebook that day, "What law did Minister Lee violate? He does not meet the requirements for impeachment," and added, "If Representative Lee forces the impeachment motion to pass in the National Assembly by binding it as a 'party consensus,' it will only ridicule politics."
Jeong also said, "There are numerous criminal facts and legal violations related to Representative Lee scattered throughout the prosecution's indictment," and added, "The Democratic Party should politically impeach Representative Lee first according to the party's constitution and regulations."
Senior spokesperson Park Jeong-ha commented, "They finally stormed out of the National Assembly and took to the streets to shield Representative Lee Jae-myung, ignoring even the critical voices within the Democratic Party expressing concerns about 'impeachment' and 'special investigations,'" criticizing, "The Democratic Party's factionalization to protect Lee Jae-myung has been completed." Floor spokesperson Jang Dong-hyeok also stated in a comment, "Impeachment can only be done when a public official violates the Constitution or laws in the execution of their duties," questioning the very requirements. He continued, "The prosecution's investigation into the Itaewon tragedy is still ongoing, and no illegal acts in the execution of duties have been confirmed by the police investigation, yet they are rushing to impeach," warning, "The moment the Constitutional Court dismisses the impeachment motion, the Democratic Party will face the stern judgment of the people and a tremendous backlash."
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