Recently, I suddenly recalled the time I had lunch with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Prime Minister's residence on November 24, 2022. Before the meal, during a casual conversation, the Prime Minister showed me around the interior, which was decorated with paintings and handicrafts made by his spouse, as well as a Christmas tree. It felt not much different from an ordinary household. The atmosphere left a longer-lasting impression than the meal itself, probably because of the comfort I felt at that time. I am curious about the current atmosphere at the Prime Minister's residence amid the emergency situation where President Yoon Seok-yeol is facing impeachment in the National Assembly.
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo had a busy day on the 19th. At 10 a.m., he held an extraordinary cabinet meeting and exercised the right to request reconsideration (veto power) on six bills that the opposition party had passed unilaterally in the plenary session last month, including the Grain Management Act and the four agricultural laws, as well as the amendment to the National Assembly Testimony and Inspection Act. At 11 a.m., he presided over a meeting of ministers related to national affairs, and after lunch, he received a report from the Director of the National Security Office. His security detail was upgraded to presidential level, and schedule notifications changed from the previous day to 8 a.m. on the day itself. Truly, he is going through hectic days.
It is not only his body that is busy; his mind must be even more so. The opposition party has 'put on hold' the impeachment against Acting President Han. It does not mean they will not proceed, but they have postponed it for now. It is a threat to 'wait and see.' Regarding the six bills, the opposition also pressured in advance not to exercise the veto power. After he exercised the veto, they strongly criticized Acting President Han as an 'accomplice in rebellion' and a 'puppet.' However, this is only the beginning. The Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act and the Rebellion Special Prosecutor Act, which passed the National Assembly on the 18th, have a processing deadline of January 1 next year. The opposition is expected to decide whether to pull out the 'impeachment' card depending on whether Acting President Han exercises veto power on these two bills. Unlike policy bills such as the Grain Management Act, these bills have a strong political nature. The burden Acting President Han feels will be greater.
It seems that the concern over the Rebellion Special Prosecutor Act is deeper than that over the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act. The Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act has matured enough. When it was rejected for the third time in the plenary session on the 7th, it received 198 votes in favor and 102 against. Already, six members of the ruling People Power Party defected and voted in favor. If only two more had defected, it would have passed. Even if Acting President Han exercises veto power this time, it is highly likely to pass in the plenary session with over 200 votes. There is a growing consensus that an investigation is inevitable at least once. The fact that President Yoon’s impeachment motion passed the National Assembly is also a new change in the situation.
However, the Rebellion Special Prosecutor Act is different. Acting President Han is explicitly named as a 'suspect actively involved in the rebellion' in the act. It is a special prosecutor act under which he himself must be investigated. The strong opposition from the People Power Party cannot be ignored either. But given the unfavorable public opinion regarding the December 3 martial law, it does not seem easy to veto it. Therefore, the attitude he takes toward the 'Rebellion Special Prosecutor Act' is expected to determine Acting President Han’s future. Whether he will appoint constitutional court justices if the consent motion passes the plenary session as early as the 27th is also in the same context.
Perhaps the answer can be found in the poem by Seosan Dae-sa: Dapseol Yajung Go (踏雪夜中去 - Walking through the snow-covered field at night) Bulsu Horan Haeng (不須胡亂行 - Do not walk recklessly) Geumil Aheng Jeok (今日我行蹟 - The footprints I leave today) Sujak Huin Jeong (遂作後人程 - Will become a guidepost for those who come after). The will of the people is the will of heaven, and the people are heaven.
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