Isangmin Impeachment: Will It Also Affect the Ruling Party's Convention?

"An, who shouted 'Lee Sang-min Resign,' in trouble... 'I won't do it anymore'"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, the impeachment motion against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min has passed the National Assembly plenary session. This issue, which can be interpreted as a de facto 'impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol,' is expected to consolidate conservatives, drawing attention to whether it will also affect the party leadership election dynamics. Candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, who once called for Minister Lee's voluntary resignation, voiced a strong opposition by voting against the impeachment.

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won pointed out on June 9th on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "This is effectively the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol. 159 of our citizens lost their lives due to the government's mismanagement, yet for over 100 days, there was no joint memorial service, the president did not apologize, and Minister Lee, the highest official responsible for safety management, was protected like a treasure."

On the 8th, at the 4th plenary session of the 403rd National Assembly (extraordinary session) held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, a vote on the impeachment motion against Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, was conducted. The vote passed with 293 members present, 179 in favor, 109 against, and 5 invalid votes. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Political Science Ph.D. Lee Jong-hoon also said on the previous day on YTN's 'E&P,' "In the past, when the impeachment of former President Roh Moo-hyun was pursued, the conservative party suffered a significant backlash. In this case, the Democratic Party chose Minister Lee Sang-min." This means the opposition, hesitant to directly pursue impeachment against President Yoon due to fear of backlash, shifted focus to Minister Lee, who is also responsible for the Itaewon accident.

Within the ruling party, there is also analysis that this impeachment serves as a rehearsal in preparation for the arrest motion against Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. Kim Jeong-jae, a member of the People Power Party, said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "This is a rehearsal for the arrest motion against Leader Lee. Since it is a rehearsal, if one or two people oppose, they will definitely be identified. Because of this, although the vote is secret, it is not truly secret."

As the political situation freezes due to Minister Lee's impeachment, attention is focused on whether it will affect the party leadership election divided between 'Pro-Yoon (친윤)' and 'Anti-Yoon (반윤).' This is because ruling party members, who tend to be more conservative than the general public and are reacting against the opposition's impeachment, are more likely to make conservative choices or support the president.

Candidate Ahn, who initially mentioned Minister Lee's voluntary resignation, found himself in a difficult position. When his rival candidate Kim Ki-hyun criticized Ahn by referring to his past remarks about Minister Lee's resignation, Ahn posted on social media, "Requesting Minister Lee's resignation early in the incident was only to emphasize that the minister of the department responsible for public safety should take 'political responsibility.'"

He canceled his planned provincial visit schedule the previous afternoon and voted against the impeachment. At a meeting with reporters at the National Assembly, he also emphasized, "I will no longer insist on Minister Lee's voluntary resignation." However, the fact that Representative Kwon Eun-hee, who was once classified as part of the 'Ahn Cheol-soo faction,' voted in favor of the impeachment could be a burden for him.

Heo Eun-ah, a Supreme Council candidate from the 'Lee Jun-seok faction,' who has consistently raised Minister Lee's political responsibility, also emphasized on social media the previous day that she voted against the impeachment motion but added, "My vote against the impeachment today is not a pardon for Minister Lee's political responsibility, nor should it be used as such."

While party leadership candidates posted various SNS messages condemning Minister Lee's impeachment motion, some candidates stood out for their lack of SNS mention. Candidate Cheon Ha-ram, who is part of the 'Non-Yoon (비윤)' and 'Lee Jun-seok faction,' on the day the impeachment motion passed, only posted criticism of former President Moon Jae-in's recommendation of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's book and posts about his rising support rate. Cheon said, "The scars of the country being split into two by Seocho-dong and Gwanghwamun are still vivid. The responsibility for the chaos lies with the Moon Jae-in administration," adding, "Many citizens are worried that a situation worse than defending Cho Kuk might occur in defending Leader Lee Jae-myung, given the attitude of Cho Kuk's family who do not sincerely admit their mistakes."

Five-term candidate Cho Kyung-tae has not made any particular remarks regarding Minister Lee's dismissal and even abstained from the vote on the dismissal motion citing regional schedule reasons. At a recent party member meeting held in Daegu, he targeted 'Yoon's heart (윤심)' candidates by saying, "We must not let the party leader be a lackey of anyone."