Kim Du-kwan Launches 'Yoon Seok-yeol Impeachment' Offensive... "Will Send Personal Letters to Lawmakers to Persuade Them"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Cheol-eung and Son Sun-hee] Despite concerns within the party about a potential 'self-defeating move,' Kim Du-gwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is initiating efforts to gather public opinion for the impeachment of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol. Moving beyond merely expressing his stance, he plans to send personal letters to lawmakers and take concrete steps toward realizing the impeachment. While the Democratic Party has decided to focus more on reforming the 'system' rather than targeting 'individuals,' the possibility of a growing hardline impeachment movement lurking beneath the surface cannot be ruled out.

On the 28th, a representative from Kim’s office stated, "Since Kim proposed the impeachment of Prosecutor General Yoon on the 25th, he has been calling party lawmakers and will use every possible communication method?personal letters, text messages, phone calls?from this week onward to persuade them. If necessary, he also plans to hold a press conference."

It was also confirmed that Kim visited the Blue House on the morning of the 24th. This is notable as it was the day a court ruling was scheduled. A representative from Kim’s office said, "He does not deny it, but we do not know whom he met, and it does not seem like information that can be confirmed."

After the court ruling that granted the suspension of the disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon, Kim posted three separate articles on Facebook starting from the 25th advocating for Yoon’s impeachment. The day before, he stated, "Although the Constitutional Court may dismiss the impeachment, if a special prosecutor investigation into Yoon and his family is launched simultaneously with the impeachment, or if the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) begins investigating Yoon’s personal criminal acts, it could persuade the Constitutional Court."

The Democratic Party plans to strengthen the Power Institution Reform Task Force (TF) into a Special Committee on Prosecutorial Reform, focusing on 'Reform Season 2,' which aims to completely separate the prosecution’s investigative and prosecutorial powers. Since the impeachment vote for the Prosecutor General requires a simple majority, if the Democratic Party unites its will, passing it through the National Assembly would not be difficult. Once passed, Yoon’s duties would be immediately suspended again. However, many within the Democratic Party believe that the next step?the Constitutional Court?will likely block the process, making actual implementation difficult. They view the essence of prosecutorial reform as fundamentally dependent on how the system is changed.

Nonetheless, there is also a stance that actions against Prosecutor General Yoon personally are necessary from the perspective that the president’s exclusive authority has been infringed upon. On the same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Joo-min appeared on YTN Radio’s 'Hwang Bo-seon’s Start New Morning' and said, "Over the past two days, many discussions and debates have taken place in an online chatroom where lawmakers gather. There are many voices?some advocating for impeachment, some opposing it, and others calling for a special prosecutor investigation. Various opinions are being exchanged, and I think the party’s position will be decided after synthesizing these discussions." When asked about his personal opinion, Park said, "I have not reached a conclusion yet and need to listen to more opinions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.