Over 50,000 Signatures Allow Referral to Assembly Ethics Committee
Second Highest Number of Supporters After 'Yoon Impeachment' Petition
The National Assembly’s public petition demanding the expulsion of Lee Junseok, a member of the Reform New Party, has received support from over 600,000 people. This is the second highest number ever, following the impeachment petition against then-President Yoon Sukyeol, which was submitted at the end of June last year and garnered 1,434,784 signatures in a month. According to the National Assembly’s electronic petition website on the 4th, the number of supporters for the petition titled "Petition Regarding the Expulsion of Representative Lee Junseok" surpassed 600,000, reaching 603,219 as of 8 a.m. that day.
The demand for Lee’s expulsion, who ran as the Reform New Party’s candidate in the 6·3 presidential election, originated from his remarks during the third presidential TV debate, which was broadcast live nationwide on May 27. He shocked the public by describing acts of sexual violence against women in graphic detail. Although Lee’s camp explained that he was merely quoting comments allegedly posted by the son of Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, on an online community in the past for the purpose of “vetting” Lee Jae Myung, criticism accusing him of “reproducing gender-based violence” has not subsided.
After the presidential election, the petition was posted on June 5. It met the review requirement (more than 50,000 signatures within 30 days) in just one day. However, it has not yet even been scheduled for referral to the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly. The Special Committee on Ethics, which handles disciplinary cases involving lawmakers, has not been formed for over a year since the launch of the 22nd National Assembly due to differences between the ruling and opposition parties.
It remains uncertain whether Lee’s expulsion will actually take place. According to the Constitution, expulsion of a lawmaker requires the approval of at least two-thirds of all sitting members of the National Assembly. There has never been a case where a lawmaker was expelled as a result of a public petition. Previously, in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on June 11, Lee stated, “Even most Democratic Party lawmakers do not agree with my expulsion,” and added, “I do not believe such an expulsion will happen.”
Proposal for Expulsion Also Submitted on National Policy Committee’s ‘Everyone’s Square’
On the 4th, the number of supporters for the petition titled "Petition Regarding the Expulsion of Representative Lee Junseok" on the National Assembly electronic petition website exceeded 600,000, reaching 603,219 as of 8 a.m. that day. National Assembly electronic petition website
The problem is that calls for Lee’s censure are also coming from within the National Assembly. On May 28, 21 lawmakers from the Democratic Party, the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, the Basic Income Party, and the Progressive Party submitted a disciplinary motion against him, stating, “If Representative Lee’s remarks are tolerated, gender equality and respect for human rights in the Republic of Korea cannot be upheld.” Son Sol, the youngest member of the 22nd National Assembly and a Progressive Party lawmaker, directly addressed the “need to discipline Representative Lee Junseok” in her plenary session speech on May 27, saying, “We must firmly demonstrate that politicians are accountable for their words in order to stop hate and discrimination.”
A policy proposal urging Lee’s expulsion and calling for improvements to the National Assembly’s ethics review and disciplinary system has also been posted on “Everyone’s Square,” the online public communication platform of the Lee Jae Myung administration, operated by the Presidential Policy Planning Committee since June 18. The proposer stated, “The fact that the petition for Lee’s expulsion has garnered support from over 600,000 people shows not only public outrage but also deep distrust in the National Assembly’s ability to police itself,” and added, “In order for the National Assembly to regain public trust and establish authority and dignity, policy improvements such as amending the National Assembly Act to strengthen expulsion standards are necessary.”
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