[Impeachment of Yoon Seok-yeol] The Key Figures Leading the 'Ki-Seung-Jeon-Gyeol' Ending of Yoon's Impeachment

The Four Key Supporting Figures Behind the Impeachment
Myung Taekyun, Woo Wonshik, Han Donghoon, and Lee Jaemyung
Leading the Agenda Submission and Ruling Party Votes

There is also interest in who was the decisive figure leading the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol. When summarizing the impeachment trial of President Yoon in a narrative structure, the protagonist of the introduction, or the 'gi' phase, is Myung Tae-kyun, a figure known in the political circles of the Gyeongnam region. The so-called 'Myung Tae-kyun Gate' surfaced, revealing that President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon-hee intervened in the candidate selection for the June 2022 by-election and the 22nd National Assembly election through Myung, causing turmoil in Yeouido's political scene. The existence of a 'golden phone' used for communication between Myung and the presidential couple was also uncovered.

The protagonist of the 'seung' phase, where tension escalated as President Yoon declared martial law, was National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. After the martial law declaration on December 3, Speaker Woo requested the convening of the National Assembly plenary session for a vote on the resolution to lift martial law. Despite the urgent situation with martial law troops entering the main government building, Speaker Woo emphasized procedure and calmly awaited the agenda's submission.

Speaker Woo Won-shik held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 12th, expressing his position on the current political situation. 2025.3.12 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon was also a key figure in the 'seung' phase. He stated that "the declaration of emergency martial law was wrong" and supported some ruling party lawmakers to participate in the vote to lift martial law. Former leader Han continued through to the climax, the 'jeon' phase, which was the passage of the impeachment motion. During the presidential impeachment vote, he drew ruling party lawmakers to break from the party line and vote against the president.

In the 'gyeol' phase, the ending leading to the impeachment verdict, there were Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party itself, and citizens urging impeachment. After the passage of the impeachment motion, Lee encouraged participation in pro-impeachment rallies, saying, "The revolution of light is only just beginning; we have only overcome a small mountain." Many attribute the Democratic Party's unified front during the impeachment crisis to Lee's party control and political leadership. When the unexpected event of President Yoon's detention cancellation occurred, Lee and Democratic Party lawmakers took to the streets themselves, calling for swift removal and confronting conservative rallies led by Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon and historian Jeon Han-gil. The impeachment drama, worthy of a movie, with its narrative structure of gi-seung-jeon-gyeol, ultimately concluded with President Yoon's removal from office.