Imminent Yoon Impeachment Verdict... A 'Fateful Week' for the Political Sphere

Opposition Steps Up with Marches and Sambo-ilbae Protests
Kim Kyung-soo's Hunger Strike at Gwanghwamun Enters Ninth Day
Ruling Party Leadership: "We Will Accept the Constitutional Court's Decision"

The 'fateful week' regarding the Constitutional Court's ruling on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol has begun. Tensions in the political sphere have reached their peak. Both ruling and opposition parties have engaged in relay protests, hunger strikes, and political declarations, launching a public opinion battle outside the National Assembly.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 17th, "It has been 21 days since the Constitutional Court concluded the impeachment arguments against President Yoon," adding, "If the impeachment ruling is delayed, social risks will worsen, causing confusion among the public."

Democratic Party lawmakers, including Floor Leader Park Chan-dae, who participated in the "Demanding the Impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol" march, are heading from the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, to the Gwanghwamun protest site on the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News

The broad opposition camp will continue street and square politics this week following the weekend. Since the 12th, Democratic Party officials and affiliated lawmakers have been marching daily on foot from the National Assembly in Yeouido to Gwanghwamun Square and attending rallies.

More lawmakers and non-parliamentary figures are joining the hunger strikes, known as the 'last political struggle method.' Former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo began his hunger strike on the 9th and is now on the ninth day. Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Jun-hyeok, Min Hyung-bae, Park Soo-hyun, and Wi Seong-gon, along with Progressive Party lawmaker Yoon Jong-oh, members of the five opposition parties' Yoon Seok-yeol impeachment parliamentary coalition, started their hunger strike on the 11th. First-term lawmakers Jeon Jin-sook, Kim Moon-soo, and Park Hong-bae even went as far as shaving their heads. The Innovation Party began a 'Sambo-ilbae' (three steps, one bow) protest from Gwanghwamun to the Constitutional Court on the 13th, demanding President Yoon's dismissal.

Meanwhile, the People Power Party continues a public opinion campaign urging the Constitutional Court to dismiss and reject the impeachment trial. However, amid concerns about possible refusal to accept the impeachment, the party leadership reaffirmed their official stance to "accept the Constitutional Court's decision."

Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at the emergency committee meeting that morning, "The Constitutional Court must deliver a ruling based solely on law and principles that the public can accept," adding, "We must not forget that this is the only way to minimize political turmoil and normalize state affairs."