Opposition Park Seong-jun: "People Power Party, which set party stance against impeachment, must not become accomplice to treason"

"Speeding up Impeachment Proposal? Following the People's Mandate"

Park Seong-jun, the senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, urged the People Power Party, which decided as a party line to oppose the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol, "Do not become accomplices or sympathizers of treason."

On the 6th, on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Park said, "The president's treason is certain, but the People Power Party has set the rejection of impeachment as their party line and is demanding an apology from the president," adding, "If lawmakers, who are the guardians of the constitution and democracy, do not express any position and hide, can the people tolerate this?"

President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on the evening of the 3rd, and related news is being broadcast on Seoul Station TV. Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding former lawmaker Woo Sang-ho's opinion that the Democratic Party's rapid push for the impeachment motion has made its passage difficult, Park responded, "There was no choice but to obey the people's command." Woo, who was credited with leading the ruling party's participation in the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2016, expressed concern in an interview with Dong-A Ilbo the previous day, saying, "The Democratic Party's impeachment push was a bit too fast," and "In this atmosphere, it will be difficult for the impeachment to pass."

In response, Park said, "The people are ordering that 'the president should not be in this position even for a minute or a second,' and that 'he is not qualified to run the government,'" adding, "Then the National Assembly must initiate, report, and vote on the impeachment from an institutional perspective."

Regarding the prospect that the People Power Party might collectively be absent from the impeachment vote on the 7th, Park said, "On that day, the special investigation law on Kim Geon-hee will also be re-voted," and "If People Power Party lawmakers are absent, the special investigation law on Mrs. Kim will be immediately passed, so the vote was scheduled on the same day."

The re-vote on the special investigation law requires two-thirds of the members present, so even if the ruling party is absent, the opposition can pass it on their own. On the other hand, the presidential impeachment motion requires two-thirds of the total members (200 members), so if ruling party members do not participate, the vote will fail.

When asked whether the People Power Party might accept the passage of the special investigation law on Mrs. Kim and still be absent from the plenary session, Park said, "I do not think People Power Party lawmakers are that reckless," adding, "If they ignore the law and do not enter the National Assembly plenary hall, it means they have forgotten their status as lawmakers."