Opposition Declares 'Han Deok-su Impeachment'... Park Chan-dae: "I Will Suppress the Remaining Flames of Rebellion" (Summary)

Democratic Party Holds Afternoon Meeting to Decide Impeachment Timing
Presidential Appointment Process for Constitutional Court Justices Remains

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 24th that he would "immediately initiate impeachment proceedings" against Acting President and Prime Minister Han Deok-soo for not following the promulgation procedure of the Special Prosecutor Act on the insurrection and Kim Geon-hee.

Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

At the party floor leaders' meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Park referred to Acting President Han as 'Prime Minister' and made the statement. Earlier, on the 22nd, he had expressed his intention to initiate impeachment proceedings against Acting President Han if the Special Prosecutor Act was not promulgated at the Cabinet meeting held that day. Park said, "Today, Prime Minister Han clearly stated his intention not to promulgate the Special Prosecutor Act at the Cabinet meeting," and rebutted, "They say the ruling and opposition parties should compromise and negotiate over the promotion and appointment of the special prosecutor, but how can an insurrection investigation be a subject of compromise?"

Prime Minister Han, at the Cabinet meeting held earlier that day, mentioned the Special Prosecutor Act and the appointment of constitutional court justices, saying, "To wisely handle contentious issues where legal interpretations and political views clash, such as the handling of the Special Prosecutor Act or the appointment of constitutional court justices, it is above all necessary for the ruling and opposition parties to put their heads together," and requested further discussions from both parties, stating, "If efforts are not made to create a legal framework that both the investigating and investigated parties can accept as fair, there is a great risk that distrust and hatred in the Republic of Korea will grow even more severely than now."

Regarding this, Floor Leader Park said, "Prime Minister Han's words can be interpreted only as an intention to delay time and continue the insurrection," and added, "The Democratic Party will immediately initiate impeachment proceedings against Acting Prime Minister Han, the insurrection proxy. We will extinguish the remaining embers of the insurrection."

He stated that the impeachment motion can be passed with the majority seats already secured by the Democratic Party in the National Assembly. Park said, "Currently, Yoon Seok-yeol's status is that of president, and there cannot be two presidents," and added, "Impeachment of the Prime Minister can be done with the general quorum, that is, a majority of the total members."

Once the impeachment motion is proposed, it is reported at the first plenary session thereafter, and if it is decided not to refer it to the Judiciary Committee, the voting procedure must be completed within 72 hours after 24 hours from the report. However, the timing of the impeachment is undecided. Yoon Jong-gun, Democratic Party floor spokesperson, said regarding the impeachment schedule, "It will be decided through discussions with the leadership, including the Supreme Council, before the Democratic Party members' meeting scheduled for the afternoon." Regarding the urgent task of appointing constitutional court justices, Yoon said, "There is a next candidate in line according to the constitution, so the procedure will follow accordingly."

However, in the political sphere, cautious views remain as to whether the Democratic Party will actually proceed to impeach Acting Prime Minister Han. There is considerable concern about whether the acting president can be impeached during the president's impeachment situation, and procedures such as the appointment of three constitutional court justices nominated by the National Assembly remain. An opposition party official said, "The public's greatest interest is ultimately the impeachment of President Yoon," and added, "The National Assembly should also focus most on the nine-member Constitutional Court system for President Yoon's impeachment. I think the possibility of an impeachment motion against Acting President Han being submitted at the plenary session on the 26th is low."

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party hinted at the possibility of not participating in the ruling-opposition-government consultative body the day before. Spokesperson Yoon said, "There were criticisms this morning that the consultative body might not work well due to Prime Minister Han's remarks and the delay tactics shown by the People Power Party," and added, "There was a strong opinion that the Democratic Party does not need to match the rhythm."