Na Kyung-won: "Yoon, in response to the attempt to impeach the Audit Board Chairman, said 'We cannot remain as is' and declared martial law"

"Unable to Work Due to Consecutive Impeachments by the Opposition"
"Martial Law Declared Because of the Impeachment Proposal Against the Audit Board Chairman"
"Need to Normalize the Operation of the National Assembly"

On the 3rd, Na Kyung-won, a member of the People Power Party, visited Seoul Detention Center to meet President Yoon Suk-yeol, explaining that the declaration of martial law by President Yoon was due to the opposition party's proposal to impeach Audit Board Chairman Choi Jae-hae.

On the 6th, Na appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' to explain the circumstances under which President Yoon declared martial law. She said, "As you know, Broadcasting and Communications Commission Chairmen Kim Hong-il, Lee Dong-gwan, and Lee Jin-sook were impeached one after another. In fact, since this administration began, there has been no one properly seated as the Broadcasting and Communications Commission Chairman," adding, "(Due to the opposition party's) consecutive impeachments, it was impossible to work. Eventually, the entire budget was cut, rendering it powerless."

Na Kyung-won, People Power Party member. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

She continued, "The opposition party even said they would impeach the Audit Board Chairman at the end. In response, President Yoon said, 'I absolutely cannot stand by as is,'" explaining that the December 3 martial law incident occurred because of the attempt to impeach the Audit Board Chairman. She also stated, "The current operation of the National Assembly has regressed parliamentary democracy significantly," and added, "There has never been a party holding both the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee simultaneously. Therefore, I thought the National Assembly's operation needed to be normalized."

Regarding the president's statement that "the party must become one," Na responded to the host's comment that there seem to be various interpretations by saying, "The full wording was that the party must unite to give hopeful messages to the people." Furthermore, she said, "It was a kind of concern for the country, aiming to create good policies for the 2030 generation and provide hope," adding, "I believe the emphasis lies more on what follows than on the phrase 'become one' itself."

On constitutional amendment, she stated, "There has never been a case where a single party unilaterally operated the assembly as it is now. This caused a paralysis of state affairs," and argued, "I think the 'imperial legislature' must be reformed. Normalizing the National Assembly comes before discussions on constitutional amendment."