Yoo Iyangsu: "Yoon Resignation Roadmap Must Be Finalized Before 2nd Impeachment Vote"

"February-March Resignation, April-May Presidential Election, Faster and Clearer"
"Discussion on Constitutional Amendment Including Term Reduction and Maintaining Presidential System"
"No Proposal to the Presidential Office... Let's Conclude Ourselves First"

Lee Yang-su, chairman of the People Power Party's Political Stabilization Task Force (TF), asserted that a roadmap for President Yoon Suk-yeol's resignation must be finalized before the vote on the second impeachment motion scheduled for the 14th.

Lee Yang-su, chairman of the People Power Party's Task Force (TF) for Political Stabilization, is receiving questions from the press while moving to attend an emergency party members' meeting held at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

On the 10th, after the National Assembly plenary session, Lee told reporters, "Since the Democratic Party of Korea has scheduled a plenary session on the 14th to announce the impeachment, I believe we must reach a conclusion at the party caucus meeting before then."

Previously, the Political Stabilization TF reported two options to the party caucus: "Resignation in February with a presidential election in April" and "Resignation in March with a presidential election in May." The plan is for President Yoon to resign in February or March next year, followed by a presidential election in April or May.

Lee explained that the two options were proposed because they offer a faster and clearer vote than the impeachment motion. He emphasized, "If the impeachment motion passes in the National Assembly, it could take up to eight months for the Constitutional Court's judgment and the presidential election. Even if the Constitutional Court tries to expedite the hearing, there is the issue of vacancies among the constitutional justices that need to be filled. Also, hearings can be suspended when prosecutorial investigations are underway."

He added, "I believe the public will consider a resignation in February or March next year, followed by a presidential election in April or May, as a better choice than impeachment because it is faster and clearer. The party caucus meeting will start soon, and after extensive discussions, I will inform you once a final decision is made."

Lee noted, "At the previous caucus meeting, various options such as resignation in April with a June election and resignation in June with an August election were proposed. Regarding the June and August options, since they would proceed similarly to going through the Constitutional Court, there was discussion that the timeline should be shorter, leading to the formulation of the two options."

The Political Stabilization TF is also expected to discuss constitutional amendments, including shortening the presidential term. Lee said, "It is possible to discuss constitutional amendments to shorten the term, but even if a constitutional amendment is passed and put to a national referendum now, it would apply only from the next election. While it might be possible to shorten the term starting from this election through bipartisan agreement, it is not easy."

Lee added, "We also plan to address the issue of constitutional amendments further. We might discuss whether the presidential system should be maintained and how to approach the issue of abolishing the presidential system." He continued, "This is not something we can discuss alone; it requires consultation with the Democratic Party."

When asked whether there has been coordination with the presidential office regarding resignation, Lee replied, "This proposal has not been made to the presidential office yet; it is something our party caucus members are trying to conclude. Once a decision is made, consultations with other institutions, including the presidential office, will likely take place."