Expulsion Petition Against Lee Jae-myung Meets National Assembly Review Threshold of 50,000 Signatures
Impeachment Petitions for Constitutional Court Justices Lee Mi-seon and Jeong Gye-seon Also Submitted
A National Assembly petition demanding the expulsion of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, from his parliamentary seat has garnered over 70,000 signatures. Having met the National Assembly's review requirement of 50,000 signatures, the petition is set to be referred to the relevant standing committee for examination. Meanwhile, impeachment petitions against Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae and Constitutional Court Justices Lee Mi-seon and Jeong Gye-seon have been submitted and referred to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
A National Assembly petition demanding the expulsion of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, from his parliamentary seat has garnered over 70,000 signatures. Since it has met the National Assembly's review requirement of 50,000 signatures, the petition will be referred to the relevant standing committee for examination. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
According to the National Assembly electronic petition website on the 10th, as of 9 a.m. that day, the petition titled "Petition for the Expulsion of Assemblyman Lee Jae-myung" had received approximately 77,000 signatures. There are two types of National Assembly petitions: member-introduced petitions and citizen consent petitions. If a citizen consent petition receives 50,000 signatures within 30 days, it gains the same effect as a bill proposed by a member of the National Assembly. However, unlike impeachment motions, there is no separate standing committee for the expulsion of assembly members, so the petition has not been referred to a subcommittee.
The petitioner stated, "On December 3, 2024, President Yoon Seok-youl's emergency martial law is being incited as a patriotic decision, while accusing the opposition party of committing treasonous acts that violate the constitution and disrupt national order. They are using the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the judiciary to instigate a real rebellion." The petitioner further explained, "Assemblyman Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea has continuously attempted to succeed in a judicial coup under the pretext of suppressing rebellion or has abetted rebellion. Through political statements about suppressing rebellion, he has openly incited and propagated rebellion, thereby justifying it."
Impeachment Petition Against Constitutional Court Justices Lee Mi-seon and Jeong Gye-seon Also Surpasses 50,000 Signatures
The impeachment petition against Constitutional Court Justices Lee Mi-seon and Jeong Gye-seon surpassed 50,000 signatures within two days on the 7th and was referred to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. The petitioner emphasized, "Justice Lee Mi-seon has unilaterally scheduled the presidential impeachment trial hearings five times, twice a week, without consulting the accused President Yoon's side. This violates Article 12 of the Constitution concerning due process and lacks procedural legitimacy."
On the 27th, the first preparatory hearing for President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial took place, with Justice Lee Mi-seon entering the small courtroom of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun
They added, "Looking at past actions, in September 2023, Justice Lee expressed an unconstitutional opinion denying the constitutional validity of Article 7 of the National Security Act (praising or encouraging enemy groups). This is related to one of the reasons for the president's declaration of martial law, 'eradication of anti-state forces,' which has intensified controversy and raised doubts about the political neutrality of the Constitutional Court."
Regarding Justice Jeong's impeachment, the petitioner stated, "Justice Jeong Gye-seon's spouse participated in a public declaration urging the impeachment of Yoon Seok-youl, which is a clear case of conflict of interest." They continued, "Additionally, Justice Jeong works as a lawyer for the Public Interest and Human Rights Foundation Gonggam, whose chairman is lawyer Kim Yi-su, co-leader of the National Assembly's impeachment prosecution team. Given the high likelihood that impeachment trial discussions could be conveyed to the opposition party, this also presents a significant conflict of interest."
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