"The Democratic Party acts as if it's a festival, but this is not the time for that"
The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to put President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment motion to a vote at the plenary session on the 14th. Meanwhile, Kim Sang-wook, a member of the People Power Party, stated, "I am actively in favor of impeachment," adding, "It is about punishing President Yoon, who acted unconstitutionally and anti-democratically, according to the will of the people."
On the 11th, Kim said on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' program, "I consider myself a conservative, and I believe that pursuing and implementing conservative values is politics," adding, "President Yoon's actions are absolutely unacceptable within conservatism."
During the vote on President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment motion on the 7th, the People Power Party set opposition to impeachment as the party line and collectively walked out of the plenary session. As a result, the vote was invalid due to a lack of quorum. However, among the ruling party members, Ahn Cheol-soo, Kim Sang-wook, and Kim Ye-ji of the People Power Party participated in the vote. At that time, Kim said, "I believed it was the duty and role of a member of the National Assembly, so I thought it was essential to participate in the vote," adding, "However, since I am still a member of the party, I did not agree with this impeachment motion according to the party line." Nevertheless, he said, "If there is another vote, I will cast a vote in favor of impeachment."
Kim explained that it was difficult to violate the party line, which was to not attend if planning to vote against impeachment. He said, "It was a heavy and somber situation against my conscience and beliefs, and I felt too guilty even to remain in the National Assembly," adding, "When I was about to leave to catch a train, I thought I would regret it for the rest of my life, so I returned to the National Assembly and declared that I would cast a vote in favor."
Kim emphasized that it is time for both ruling and opposition party members to feel ashamed and reflect. He said, "I am so sorry to the people that I cannot raise my head," adding, "The Democratic Party seems to be celebrating as if it were a festival, but this is not the time." He continued, "Reflection must go beyond words and translate into actions," emphasizing, "The first step toward action is to actively support impeachment and punish President Yoon according to the will of the people."
Kim also expressed opposition to People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon's call for a 'orderly resignation.' He stated that President Yoon's actions directly violate the most important traditional conservative values, and a clear judgment must be made to prevent recurrence. He also pointed out that resignation itself could exacerbate the instability and damage the country is experiencing.
He said, "I doubt whether it is possible to effectively suspend the president's authority," explaining, "I feel that the president is in an unstable situation, and I am concerned that other problems may arise." Regarding Han Dong-hoon's reason for advocating an 'orderly resignation,' Kim explained, "There was likely a strong psychological desire to prevent impeachment due to the trauma that arose after former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment."
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