"Insurrection Is Still Ongoing"... Opposition Party Resolves to Impeach Han Deok-su, Here's Why

Opposition: "Suppressing the Insurrection Comes First"
Push for Han Deok-su's Impeachment if Constitutional Court Justice Not Appointed
Rising Dissatisfaction with the Corruption Investigation Office

As chaos continued following the emergency martial law situation on the 3rd, the Democratic Party of Korea is attempting to shift the political landscape through efforts such as pushing for the impeachment of Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. With instability persisting even after President Yoon's impeachment, the priority seems to be shifting from political stability to resolving the internal rebellion situation.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 26th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

On the 26th, the Democratic Party of Korea strongly expressed concern that the 'internal rebellion situation' is being prolonged. Park Chan-dae, the party's floor leader, stated, "The state of internal rebellion has not ended," adding, "The path to normalization is to promptly remove the rebel leader Yoon Seok-yeol from office and punish all remaining rebels." Jin Sung-jun, the party's policy committee chairman, also said, "It has been 24 days since the internal rebellion began, but political turmoil continues," and emphasized, "Thorough suppression of the rebellion is the first step toward political stability. The arrest of Yoon Seok-yeol, appointment of constitutional court justices, and introduction of a special prosecutor must be carried out immediately." Park Ji-won, a Democratic Party lawmaker, also assessed the situation on CBS Radio, stating, "The internal rebellion is still ongoing."

The opposition party's major concerns are primarily that President Yoon, who is accused of being the ringleader of the internal rebellion, has not been taken into custody, and that Acting President Han and the People Power Party are blocking measures to resolve the current crisis, such as the appointment of constitutional court justices.

The day before, the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HOCI) stated regarding the arrest warrant for President Yoon, who had refused a second summons the previous day, that it was "too premature" and that "there are still many aspects to review." Despite rising criticism questioning whether the Presidential Office is a sanctuary, the investigative authorities are taking a cautious approach. In response, Democratic Party members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee visited HOCI to protest. The day before, members of the Innovation Party also visited HOCI to request a meeting with HOCI Chief Oh Dong-hoon. Kim Seon-min, acting leader of the Innovation Party, warned HOCI at the party's supreme council meeting, saying, "HOCI must arrest Yoon Seok-yeol," and added, "In this investigation, speed is more important than caution. Delaying and hesitating could make you criminals who miss the golden time for Korea's normalization."

Above all, the opposition expressed dissatisfaction with Acting President Han, who is currently overseeing the executive branch, for showing an attitude of seeking consultations between the ruling and opposition parties. Jin, the policy committee chairman, criticized, "I have never heard that Acting President Han has ordered a swift and thorough investigation related to the internal rebellion," adding, "The appointment process for the permanent special prosecutor for the internal rebellion, which should be appointed without delay, has been postponed for two weeks, the promulgation of the internal rebellion special prosecutor and the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor, which passed the National Assembly, has been delayed for ten days, and even the appointment of constitutional court justices is being avoided."

There is also strong backlash against the People Power Party, which is raising issues about the appointment procedures of constitutional court justices. The People Power Party has questioned Acting President Han's authority and procedures, raising objections to the appointment of constitutional court justices. In this regard, Park, the floor leader, criticized, "The People Power Party is obstructing the appointment of constitutional court justices and opposing the resolution of the internal rebellion because they are one with the rebel leader," adding, "Yoon Seok-yeol and the People Power Party are a perfect internal rebellion entity." He further warned, "If the People Power Party schemes to prolong the rebellion, they will be judged by history alongside the rebel leader."

The opposition party has even declared that if Acting President Han delays decisions regarding the appointment of constitutional court justices, which the Supreme Court and constitutional court justice candidates have stated are not problematic, they will proceed with impeachment. Kang Yoo-jung, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, told reporters, "We plan to finalize the selection of three constitutional court justice candidates today," and introduced, "After observing whether Acting President Han consents to the appointments, we have concretized a plan to file an impeachment motion against him either late this afternoon or tomorrow morning and report it to the plenary session at 2 p.m. on the 27th." If the appointment of constitutional court justices is refused, they intend to impeach Acting President Han and suspend his duties by the weekend or early next week at the latest.

In this atmosphere, the political stabilization plan originally proposed by the opposition has been deprioritized.

Additionally, as a stabilization measure following the impeachment political situation, the opposition is considering delaying or even scrapping the 'Political Stability Consultative Body' proposed by Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung on the 15th. Kang, the floor spokesperson, responded to reporters' questions about whether the 'Political Stability Consultative Body' would be scrapped by saying, "The current situation is viewed as recovery from or overcoming the internal rebellion, unlike when political stability was introduced. If the internal rebellion continues and the remaining rebels continue to stir, suppressing the rebellion takes precedence over subsequent processes."