Lee trial ended... Opposition focuses intensively on impeaching Choi Sang-mok and pressuring the Constitutional Court

Plenary Session on the 27th Postponed...
Report on Choi Sang-mok's Impeachment Motion Also Delayed
Opposition: "Plenary Session Must Be Held Within the Session... Expected Early Next Week"
Democratic Party, With Judicial Risk Eased, Emphasizes Swift Ruling on Yoon

The second trial of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, for violation of the Public Official Election Act concluded with a not guilty verdict, and the Democratic Party appears to be focusing all efforts on criticizing the government and ruling party. Although the plenary session, where the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok (Deputy Prime Minister Choi) was scheduled to be reported, was postponed, the Democratic Party expects the plenary session to be held early next week and the reporting procedure to proceed as originally planned.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking after being acquitted in the appeal trial of a violation of the Public Official Election Act held at the Seoul High Court on the 26th. 2025.3.26 Photo by Joint Press Corps

According to the National Assembly on the 27th, the plenary session scheduled for that day was postponed. A National Assembly Secretariat official stated, "In response to requests from both ruling and opposition parties regarding support for damage recovery from the wildfire emergency situation, Speaker Woo Won-shik decided not to hold the plenary session scheduled for that day."

At the plenary session, the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi, which was proposed on the 21st by the Democratic Party and four other opposition parties, was supposed to be reported, but the schedule was postponed, delaying the report as well. According to the National Assembly Act, when an impeachment motion is proposed, it must be reported at the first plenary session convened after the proposal. The plenary session can then decide to refer the matter to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee for investigation.

The Democratic Party holds the position that since the plenary session was postponed through consultation between ruling and opposition parties, the plenary session should be held early next week (March 31 or April 1), within the March extraordinary session. The March extraordinary session ends on April 3, but April 2 is expected to be occupied by by-elections and re-elections, and April 3 by the Jeju 4·3 Memorial Ceremony. The party leadership is reportedly coordinating with the Speaker's office regarding the plenary session schedule for next week. In a phone interview with Asia Economy, Floor Spokesperson Noh said, "The plenary session that was supposed to be held that day was a schedule agreed upon by both ruling and opposition parties," adding, "There can be no postponement of the schedule without the fundamental premise that the plenary session must be held early next week."

The possibility of withdrawing the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi also seems unlikely. When asked about the possibility of withdrawing the motion, Spokesperson Noh said, "It is about admitting what was wrong," indicating the intention to continue the procedure.

With Lee Jae-myung's judicial risk settled for the time being, the party is intensifying calls for the swift dismissal of President Yoon. Floor Leader Park Chan-dae emphasized at the policy coordination meeting that "The Constitutional Court must do its job," urging, "Set the verdict date immediately and dismiss President Yoon on the 28th." Floor Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung told reporters after the party meeting the day before, "Suspicions of intentional delay in the Constitutional Court's verdict are increasing, and the party's response level is expected to rise not only within the floor but also at the party level."

Chief Spokesperson Cho Seung-rae and former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, a figure from the non-main faction, also welcomed Lee's acquittal while sending a message that the Constitutional Court should reach a swift conclusion. At a briefing the day before, Chief Spokesperson Cho said, "A just verdict has been delivered," and added, "The people are eagerly awaiting the dismissal of the leader of the rebellion to end this chaos." Former Prime Minister Kim also posted on his Facebook, calling it a "crisis of constitutional order," and said, "Neither the dismissal of President Yoon nor the wildfires threatening people's livelihoods should be overlooked."

Meanwhile, Lee appears to be gearing up for his presidential campaign in earnest. Immediately after receiving the not guilty verdict in the second trial, Lee met with wildfire victims in Andong, Gyeongbuk, and on the same day, he plans to visit wildfire-affected areas in Uiseong, Cheongsong, and Yeongyang in Gyeongbuk.