Kwon Youngse and Kwon Seongdong Hold Press Conference After Han's Impeachment Dismissal
"Chain Impeachments Mark the Peak of Constitutional Paralysis and Treason Attempts"
Requests to Han: "Wildfire Response, Public Livelihood, and International Trade"
Ruling Party Pressures Constitutional Court Over Dismissal Decision
Kwon Seongdong: "Regret Over 151-Seat Quorum Judgment"
Claims of Political Bias Against Jeong Gyeseon, the Lone Supporter
On the 24th, the People Power Party pointed out that the Constitutional Court's dismissal of the impeachment case against Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was "a stern warning from the judiciary against the reckless legislative violence of the major opposition party." By directly addressing the dismissal of all nine impeachment motions led by the Democratic Party, the ruling party is drawing public attention while pressuring the dismissal or rejection of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment ruling.
On the morning of the same day, Kwon Young-se, chairman of the Emergency Response Committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly after the dismissal of Acting President Han's impeachment trial, stating, "As we all expected, the Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment trial against Prime Minister Han with a 7 to 1 vote." He added, "Nine attempts, nine defeats. This is a record-breaking loss that will be remembered in constitutional history," and sharply criticized, "The Democratic Party's attempt to abuse impeachment to paralyze the government and control the administration has repeatedly failed before the public's common sense and the principles of the rule of law."
Regarding the opposition's impeachment motion against Choi Sang-mok, Minister of Strategy and Finance and Deputy Prime Minister during his tenure as Acting President, he said, "Since the judiciary has once again applied the brakes, the opposition must immediately stop their reckless challenge that goes against the spirit of the constitution," urging, "The impeachment motion against Acting President Choi, which is solely for political strife, should be dropped even now."
Floor leader Kwon Seong-dong also said, "The dismissal of Acting President Han Duck-soo's impeachment is more than just the Democratic Party's, or rather the 'Democratic Impeachment Party's,' 'nine defeats in nine attempts.' The sequential impeachment of the president and even the acting president was the pinnacle of a treasonous attempt by the major opposition party to paralyze the executive branch and constitutional order of the Republic of Korea for political calculations." He fiercely attacked, "The constitutional hammer has been struck against the treasonous conspiracy mobilized by Lee Jae-myung's faction using legislative power." He further urged, "Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, should offer a profound apology to the people for paralyzing the government for 87 days with a hasty impeachment motion solely for his political purposes, despite knowing it would be dismissed."
On March 24, 2025, Kwon Young-se, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, and Kwon Seong-dong, Floor Leader, held a press conference at the National Assembly regarding the dismissal of the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Deok-su. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
He emphasized Acting President Han's responsibilities regarding nationwide wildfire suppression, public livelihood and economy, and international trade. Chairman Kwon said, "There are many urgent matters to attend to. I hope you will take care of the citizens suffering severe hardships due to wildfires occurring across the country. Along with this, I request you to manage the frozen livelihood economy and respond swiftly to the rapidly changing global trade environment." He stressed, "The People Power Party will do its utmost to quickly restore a close cooperative relationship with Acting President Han and swiftly resolve the government turmoil."
Floor leader Kwon also requested, "Please meticulously oversee the suppression of nationwide wildfires and recovery efforts," adding, "Especially for the safety of the people and national security, please promptly appoint the Minister of the Interior and Safety and the Minister of National Defense, positions that have been vacant for a long time." He continued, "Despite various practical limitations, I urge you to actively respond to protect the interests of Korea's economy and industry against the fierce waves of global trade and tariff wars," and added, "I request that a high-level party-government meeting be held to discuss economic stabilization measures."
With President Yoon's impeachment ruling expected soon, the ruling party repeatedly pressured the Constitutional Court regarding the reasons for dismissing Acting President Han's impeachment. Floor leader Kwon said, "It is fortunate that the ruling allowed Acting President Han to resume his duties, but it is very regrettable that the court judged the required quorum as 151 seats," criticizing, "This means the Constitutional Court has granted the major opposition party unlimited impeachment licenses against the acting president." The court ruled that the impeachment quorum for Acting President Han should be 151 seats, corresponding to his original position, not the president. Only two of the eight constitutional justices held the opinion that the presidential impeachment quorum should be two-thirds of the total members.
Chairman Kwon urged, "We must thoroughly review whether there are procedural flaws or substantive problems in President Yoon's impeachment trial without being constrained by time."
When asked whether the ruling on Acting President Han would affect President Yoon's impeachment ruling, Chairman Kwon said, "They are separate cases, so there is no direct influence. However, one disappointing aspect is that during this constitutional trial, the court first judged the formal part and then sequentially assessed whether the substantive impeachment motion against Acting President Han involved illegal or unconstitutional acts. While they judged the quorum, they did not assess any part of the impeachment content except for the charge of treason." He added, "Since each constitutional justice includes their own opinions in the ruling based on what they believe is correct, if deliberations are conducted more properly, we might interpret the outcome of President Yoon's impeachment motion more positively."
Regarding Justice Cho Han-chang, whose appointment was delayed by Prime Minister Han and who issued a dismissal opinion, and Justice Jeong Gye-seon, who issued an acceptance opinion, Floor leader Kwon said, "Justice Cho's opinion was dismissal, but basically, considering it as a dismissal, he was one among seven justices, and Justice Jeong presented an opinion completely different from the other seven." He argued, "From that perspective, we raised several issues about Justice Jeong's political bias even before his appointment, and considering the ruling results, I think there was some validity to those concerns."
On the 24th, when the Constitutional Court dismissed the National Assembly's impeachment motion against Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the Prime Minister immediately returned to duty at the Government Seoul Office after 87 days and headed to the Prime Minister's Office. 2025.03.24 Photo by Jo Yong-jun
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