[Yoon Seok-yeol Impeachment] Lee Nak-yeon on Yoon's Impeachment: "A Natural Outcome... Now It's Time for Recovery"

"Change to a Decentralized Presidential System and Multi-Party System"

Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon evaluated President Yoon Seok-yeol's dismissal ruling on the 4th as a "natural result" and stated, "From now on, it should be the people's time, a time for recovery."

On the same day, through his social media (SNS), former Prime Minister Lee said, "The president, who should protect the constitution and the people, shocked the people and plunged the nation into chaos with an irrational declaration of martial law," adding, "The act committed on the night of December 3 last year was something that cannot be justified by any excuse. The unanimous decision by the judges to accept the impeachment was a common-sense judgment."

Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon. Photo by Heo Young-han

He then emphasized the need to minimize political turmoil after the impeachment and transition to a time of recovery. Former Prime Minister Lee said, "Now that the president, who plunged the country and its people into confusion and anxiety for as short as about 120 days and as long as 2 years and 11 months, has stepped down, the political circles must take the lead in uniting the divided hearts of the people," and added, "We must manage the nation's overall crisis and quickly rescue the livelihoods that are at a crossroads between life and death."

He continued, "Those who opposed the impeachment should accept the ruling, and those who supported it should now remain calm," and said, "We must be cautious of incitement to exclude or hate others just because of political differences. Let us acknowledge and respect those with different opinions and move forward together into tomorrow."

Former Prime Minister Lee said, "With this impeachment, South Korea has effectively dismissed two presidents in the past 10 years," and added, "We must learn lessons from this historical misfortune and redesign the future." He emphasized, "We must eliminate the politics of hatred caused by reckless major parties and unstable leaders and move toward a new democratic republic that strengthens democracy and constitutional order."

He proposed, "Let us transform the imperial presidency into a decentralized system and change the all-or-nothing two-party system into a multi-party system capable of dialogue and compromise through related legal reforms." Regarding the early presidential election, he said, "The early election should also be a time of integration and recovery, not a process that divides the people," and urged, "The people must live, and South Korea must develop."