"Reconsider in the National Assembly with a Proper Impeachment Proposal"
"Opposition, Apologize for Hastily Drafting the Impeachment Proposal"
Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated, "The Constitutional Court (Constitutional Tribunal) should dismiss the hastily drafted impeachment proposal," and argued, "The National Assembly should re-deliberate with a properly prepared proposal."
Floor leader Kwon made these remarks at a party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 4th. This was in response to the National Assembly's legal team withdrawing the claim that President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment constituted the crime of rebellion under criminal law during the second preparatory hearing at the Constitutional Tribunal the previous day. He said, "If the criminal law violation grounds are excluded from the impeachment charges, then not only the rebellion charge but also the charges of abuse of power, obstruction of official duties, and violation of the Martial Law Act should be excluded."
Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 3rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
Floor leader Kwon said, "The word 'rebellion' appears 38 times in the impeachment proposal, and the first impeachment charge is a rebellion crime," adding, "The rebellion charge is the alpha and omega of the presidential impeachment proposal. Excluding the core from the impeachment charges would be like a steamed bun without filling, not just a bun without filling." He continued, "Amending an impeachment proposal passed with the support of 204 lawmakers is not a matter to be hastily decided through secret consultations among a few lawmakers and lawyers."
Floor leader Kwon also stated, "The opposition party should apologize for drafting a hasty impeachment proposal that mocks the people." He further claimed that there is a special cooperative relationship between the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (Gongu-cheo), the law firm LKB, and the Democratic Party. He said, "Prosecutor Choi Jang-woo of Gongu-cheo is a former member of law firm LKB, and lawyer Lee Gwang-beom, the National Assembly's legal representative in the impeachment trial, is the founder and de facto head of LKB," adding, "Both Gongu-cheo and the National Assembly's legal team for the impeachment trial are connected to the Democratic Party and LKB." Furthermore, he said, "This is unacceptable in a situation where fair due process is required."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
