Assemblyman Kim Sang-wook meets reporters after vote
"Heartbroken... hope this never happens again"
On the 14th, Kim Sang-wook, a member of the People Power Party, stated regarding the passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol, "A person unqualified to be president has stepped down from the presidency. The people have won."
After the National Assembly plenary session that afternoon, Kim told reporters, "As a ruling party lawmaker, I sincerely apologize to the people."
Kim participated in the emergency martial law lifting resolution vote in the early morning of the 4th and the first impeachment vote against President Yoon on the 7th. On this day, he also held a solo protest in front of Jeonghyeon Hall at the National Assembly main building, urging support for the impeachment motion.
In response to a reporter's comment that "It is known that Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, requested opposition to the vote just before the ballot," Kim replied, "It was the will of the people and for the sake of the national economy and to precisely address unconstitutional matters. I am sorry, but I had no choice but to cast a favorable vote this time, and I had to persuade others to support it as well."
When asked by a reporter, "You endured the cold and worked hard; do you think you achieved any results?" Kim, with reddened eyes, said, "Rather than calling it an achievement, I feel a sense of devastation, as I mentioned earlier."
He continued, "I apologize again to the people, and my hope is that this incident will serve as an opportunity for South Korean democracy to mature further," adding, "I hope such a thing never happens again."
Earlier, the National Assembly held a plenary session at 4 p.m. and conducted a vote on the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol. All 300 members participated, with 204 votes in favor, 85 against, 3 abstentions, and 8 invalid votes, passing the motion.
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