Park Chandae "Impeachment Approval is a Great Victory for the People"
All Democratic Party Members Bow Their Heads to Greet the People
Emphasizes Rapid Promotion of 'Naeran Special Investigation'
Emergency General Meeting Scheduled for 2 PM on the 16th to Discuss Future Plans
As the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol was passed in the National Assembly on the 14th, the Democratic Party of Korea, which led the impeachment, cheered, calling the passage of the motion "a great victory for the people." They also emphasized their commitment to ensuring that the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial proceeds swiftly.
Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, stated in front of the main building's rotunda hall stairs at 5 p.m. after the plenary session vote, "Today, the National Assembly has passed the impeachment motion against the ringleader of the rebellion, Yoon Suk-yeol, in accordance with the people's mandate, and I report this fact to the people."
Park said, "On December 3, upon hearing the news of the declaration of martial law, there were people who rushed to the National Assembly to block the entry of martial law troops and protested police control. Because there were people who guarded the National Assembly's entrance doors overnight in the bitter cold, and because there were citizens who gathered daily in front of the National Assembly holding cheering sticks and vocally defending constitutional order and democracy, South Korean democracy was able to create another victorious history."
He continued, "I deeply thank everyone who united their hearts and efforts for President Yoon's impeachment and acted together," but added, "The rebellion incident on December 3 has not yet ended."
Park emphasized, "The suspension of duties of the ringleader of the rebellion, Yoon Suk-yeol, is only the first step toward resolving the situation," and added, "We will not lower our guard until a thorough investigation reveals the full extent of the incident and punishments are imposed on Yoon Suk-yeol and other participants involved in the rebellion."
He then urged the Constitutional Court to promptly carry out the impeachment trial procedures. He said, "The Democratic Party will make every effort to swiftly form a special investigation team for the rebellion and proceed with the investigation," and "We will definitely secure the approval of the impeachment against the ringleader of the rebellion, Yoon Suk-yeol."
He also stated, "The Democratic Party will take this incident as a lesson and strive harder so that politics can alleviate the people's worries, solve real difficulties, and bring hope for the future," and reiterated, "We will do our best to stabilize state affairs and restore people's livelihoods so that the public can live their daily lives with peace of mind."
Following this, Yoon Jong-gun, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, shouted, "Great people, great people who made this victory," and all the members bowed their heads in greeting.
Democratic Party members gathered in front of the main building's rotunda hall stairs immediately after the plenary session vote, finished their remarks, and then moved to the party meeting room to hold a meeting for about 30 minutes.
Right after the meeting, No Jong-myeon, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, told reporters, "Representative Lee Jae-myung said, '(It is) not yet a victory,'" explaining that the president's duties are suspended once the impeachment resolution is delivered to the presidential office, but the final decision on dismissal depends on the conclusion of the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial.
The Democratic Party plans to pressure President Yoon, who said he "will not evade legal responsibility," by forming a special investigation team to examine the illegality of the martial law declared on the 3rd. Spokesperson No added, "In principle, the special investigation law has passed and is expected to be sent soon," and "The position is that the investigation should proceed quickly."
Also, it was reported that at the party meeting, Representative Lee told party members that "there may be ongoing conflicts that the party will have to respond to for a considerable period, and it is important for the party and the National Assembly to be responsible and trustworthy." Spokesperson No added that Lee also said, "We must quickly resolve the confusion through the energy released in the square and use it as a driving force to bring about positive changes in our society."
No said, "We decided to hold an emergency party meeting at 2 p.m. on Monday (the 16th)," and "I asked members to think about ways to heed the people's will, ways to resolve the confusion, and what concrete actions we can take immediately." He also added that members were urged to "be especially careful with words and actions that could be misunderstood by third parties or the public."
On this day, Representative Lee and Democratic Party members are scheduled to go on stage at the "Rally Urging President Yoon's Impeachment" held in front of the National Assembly after the party meeting, where they will greet the public together with the leaders of the five opposition parties.
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