Lee Jong-seop followed by Lee Dong-gwan's preemptive resignation... Lee Jae-myung says "Could not anticipate the trick"

Opposition's Strategic Battle Lost? Lee Jae-myung Says "Completely Unpredictable"
Last Month, Imdogwan Impeachment Bill Failed Due to Session End

Lee Dong-kwan, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, tendered his resignation on the 1st, once again catching the Democratic Party off guard during the impeachment phase. This is the third time following the impeachment motion against Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop in September and the impeachment motion against Chairman Lee last month.

On the morning of the day of the National Assembly plenary session vote, Chairman Lee expressed his intention to resign, and President Yoon Suk-yeol approved it. Accordingly, the impeachment motion against Chairman Lee, which the Democratic Party intended to handle at the plenary session that day, was excluded from the agenda.

At a press conference that day, Chairman Lee said, "I am resigning from the chairman position," adding, "My resignation is not because I was pushed by the giant opposition (Geoya), nor is it a political trick as the opposition claims."

He continued, "If the giant opposition party's impeachment motion against me in the National Assembly proceeds, it is uncertain how many months it will take until the judgment is made," and stated, "The Korea Communications Commission has effectively become a dormant organization, and in the process of the ruling and opposition parties' disputes over the impeachment, the National Assembly is completely paralyzed. It is the duty of a public official to avoid this even if it means sacrificing myself."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Hong Ik-pyo, floor leader, are entering the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 1st.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Democratic Party responded that they did not anticipate Chairman Lee's resignation. After the party's Supreme Council meeting that day, leader Lee Jae-myung told reporters, "It was truly difficult to predict, as it is a somewhat abnormal way of conducting state affairs," and criticized, "Doing it as a trick like this is not right."

Choi Hye-young, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, said in a briefing that day, "Chairman Lee led the broadcasting takeover disregarding the law and is now escaping legal responsibility, mocking the National Assembly and the people," and criticized, "It is an expression of obstinacy to avoid the political burden of impeachment while continuing the broadcasting takeover."

Former Supreme Council member Park Sung-min also appeared on SBS's 'Pyeon Sang-wook's News Briefing' that day and criticized, "Chairman Lee is worried that the Korea Communications Commission will become dormant and is packaging his resignation as an honorable sacrifice, but he has been operating a five-member collegial body abnormally with only two members and has passed dozens of resolutions," adding, "It is abnormal for him to portray himself as making a tremendous sacrifice to lay the foundation and roots for media normalization."

This is the third time the Democratic Party has failed to process the impeachment as originally intended during the impeachment phase. The Democratic Party initially proposed impeachment motions against Chairman Lee, Lee Jeong-seop, and prosecutor Son Jun-sung at the National Assembly plenary session on the 9th of last month.

However, the plenary session ended without processing the impeachment motion as the People Power Party members abruptly withdrew their filibuster and left. The ruling party's judgment was effective, based on the rule that if the impeachment motion vote is not held within 72 hours after 24 hours from the time it is reported to the plenary session, it is discarded.

The preemptive resignation that caused the impeachment motion to fail overlaps with the case of the impeachment motion against Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop. In September, the Democratic Party pushed for impeachment of the minister over allegations of interference in the investigation of a Marine's death, but it was nullified by the minister's voluntary resignation.