Ahn Cheol-soo: "Lee Jae-myung's Presidential Bid Violates Constitution... Should Retire from Politics"

On the 23rd, Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, demanded the political retirement of Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. He claimed that impeachment and other measures were used as political retaliation and that legislative systems were abused to prevent judicial risks.

At a press conference held at the National Assembly that day, Ahn criticized the impeachment motion against Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, saying, "It serves only the purpose of 'making Lee Jae-myung president,'" and asked, "Is it acceptable for the country to be in chaos as long as Lee Jae-myung becomes president?"

Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, is speaking at the party-government council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 18th to strengthen AI competitiveness. 2025.2.18 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

He pointed out the Democratic Party's successive impeachments, stating, "The impeachment system was abused as a means of political retaliation," and argued, "This clearly violates the principle of separation of powers and the authority of the National Assembly, breaching Article 10 of the Constitution on human dignity and Article 37, Paragraph 2 on the prohibition of excessive restriction of fundamental rights."

Regarding the Democratic Party's legislation, which he referred to as 'bulletproof legislation,' Ahn said, "They systematically obstructed judicial processing." Furthermore, he criticized that "the principles of parliamentary procedure were not observed," calling it "an attack on the foundation of parliamentary democracy."

He emphasized, "There is no people in Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party; they only care about Lee Jae-myung himself," and urged, "It's time to stop and retire from politics."

Referring to the ongoing trials surrounding Lee, he said, "Forcing the public to vote and make a choice while he is on trial, with the outcome unknown whether guilty or innocent, is an act of deceiving the people," and added, "Lee's presidential candidacy itself is a 'violation of the Constitution.'"