Ahn Cheolsoo: "Excluding Insurrection Charge Is Wrong... Democratic Party Acting Impatiently"

"Democratic Party Rushing to Impeach President Yoon Before Lee's Verdict"
Ahn Cheolsoo Criticizes Removal of Insurrection Charge and Handling of Impeachment Process

Ahn Cheolsoo, a member of the People Power Party, raised his voice over the exclusion of the charge of insurrection under the Criminal Act from the impeachment grounds against President Yoon Suk Yeol, stating, "The Democratic Party is acting impatiently in an attempt to ensure that the Constitutional Court delivers its impeachment verdict on President Yoon before the court ruling on Lee Jaemyung, the leader of the Democratic Party."

Appearing on YTN Radio's 'News Fighting' on January 8, Ahn said, "The National Assembly has passed the impeachment motion, so it should be sent directly to the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court is supposed to determine whether there has been a violation of the Constitution or the law and deliver its ruling. It is not appropriate for the National Assembly to arbitrarily remove the insurrection charge from the impeachment case."

Ahn Cheolsoo, member of the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News

Ahn also emphasized, "There is what is called the '6-3-3 principle,' which means that election law trials should conclude within six months at the first trial, three months at the second trial, and three months at the Supreme Court. However, the trial for Lee Jaemyung violated the first trial period and took two years and two months. Since the first trial ended on November 15 last year, the second trial ruling should come by February 15, and the final judgment should be delivered by May 15."

Regarding the recent recovery in the People Power Party's approval ratings following the imposition of martial law, he attributed it to "the arrogance of the 'Lee Jaemyung Democratic Party.'" He stated, "The Democratic Party has shown no interest in state affairs, has been reckless in pushing for impeachments, and has deleted the insurrection charge at the Constitutional Court. These actions have provoked anger among conservatives. In a sense, they are reaping what they sowed."

He continued, "It was also the Democratic Party that created the unprecedented system of an acting authority for the acting authority. I believe these factors have greatly contributed to the public's anxiety."

Ahn argued that the authority to investigate insurrection charges lies with the police, and that the police should lead any investigation into President Yoon regarding insurrection. He said, "The authority to investigate insurrection charges belongs to the police, not to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). Although the CIO and the police have established a joint investigation headquarters to avoid controversy, if the CIO leads the investigation, even if President Yoon is arrested, it could cause national division from the perspective of procedural legitimacy."