Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung speaks during a press conference held a day after the National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. (Yonhap)
The Democratic Party of Korea is hitting pause on its continuous push to impeach members of the Cabinet and other heads of government agencies.
Rep. Lee Jae-myung said Sunday his party would not impeach acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, despite accusing him of being complicit in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s shock martial law imposition.
Lee, the leader of the Democratic Party, whose chances of another presidential run appear greater than ever, was speaking at a press conference held the day after a historic vote by the National Assembly to impeach Yoon, who has since been suspended from his duties until a decision by the Constitutional Court.
Lee said some in the Democratic Party believe the acting president should also face impeachment for his possible role in the events leading to and after the declaration of martial law, which the party has characterized as insurrection.
“But since Prime Minister Han has already assumed office as acting president, we have decided not to pursue an impeachment process for now. We fear that too many impeachments could lead to more chaos in the country,” the Democratic Party leader said.
Since Yoon took office in May 2022, the Democratic Party has introduced more than two dozen impeachment bills against ministers and high-ranking officials.
Lee said that in his brief phone call with Han on Saturday, he called for the acting president to “stay neutral, and run the country from the position of an acting president, not as a prime minister from the ruling party.” Lee said Han agreed with him on the call.
Lee said he also asked Han to exercise his veto powers with caution, and “consider the differences in policy positions between the ruling and opposition parties.”
“Vetoing policies of one party would be political bias,” he said, in an apparent jab at Yoon having repeatedly vetoed some Democratic Party-led bills, such as one for launching a special counsel investigation of his wife Kim Keon Hee.
He also urged the Constitutional Court to take "swift" action regarding Yoon's dismissal, emphasizing that it is the only way to "minimize the country's chaos." The court has 180 days to decide whether to uphold the parliament's decision, which will determine whether Yoon is removed from office or reinstated.
In a gesture of backing down from partisan clashes, Lee promised the Democratic Party’s “close cooperation” with the ruling party and the government. He said he would “actively cooperate with all parties to stabilize the state of affairs, and restore the trust of international partners in our country.”
At the press conference, Lee proposed forming a council to gather the Assembly and the government with the aim of “stabilizing the country.”
“The National Assembly and the government need to work together to get through the crisis that has engulfed our country in the past two weeks,” he said.
Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the ruling People Power Party floor leader, rejected Lee’s council proposal, saying, “We are still the ruling party.”
Kweon told reporters that the People Power Party would be working closely with the government to fulfill its responsibilities until the end. “I hope the Democratic Party will be cooperative,” he said.
MOST POPULAR