President Moon Apologized... Ruling Party Voices Calls for Yoon Seok-yeol's Impeachment Day After Day

Moon Jae-in "Causing Inconvenience and Confusion to the People" Addresses Situation
Ruling Party Repeatedly Calls for 'Yoon Seok-yeol Impeachment'
Opposition Criticizes "Half-hearted Apology," "Feeling Like Receiving a Christmas Stocking Full of Holes"

President Moon Jae-in (left), Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl (right). / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] President Moon Jae-in apologized regarding the court's decision on the disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, stating, "I respect the court's decision. As the authority responsible for personnel appointments, I apologize for causing inconvenience and confusion to the public as a result." However, some within the ruling party are even mentioning impeachment motions against the Prosecutor General, raising concerns about increasing public fatigue once again.

As a result, there is a view that the President's apology is being diluted by hardline remarks from ruling party figures. Although the President stepped forward to manage the situation with an apology, the situation remains unsettled due to lawmakers' calls for Yoon's impeachment. Meanwhile, the opposition party dismissed the apology as a 'half-hearted apology,' rejecting its significance.

The Seoul Administrative Court's 12th Administrative Division (Presiding Judge Hong Soon-wook) on the same day accepted Prosecutor General Yoon's request for suspension of the enforcement of the disciplinary action filed against Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae. Fourteen hours after the court's decision, around noon on the 25th, Yoon arrived at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building and immediately resumed his duties. Following Yoon's return, President Moon expressed regret for causing confusion among the public.

However, some within the Democratic Party continue to make strong statements, including calls for Yoon's impeachment. On the 25th and 26th, Representative Kim Doo-kwan posted on his Facebook, saying, "The court made an absurd decision," and announced plans to prepare an impeachment motion against Prosecutor General Yoon.

On the 27th, Representative Kim again posted, emphasizing the impeachment argument by stating, "There is no reason for the Democratic Party to hesitate in impeaching Prosecutor General Yoon, who has infringed upon the nation's greatest legal interests." Regarding concerns about political backlash, he said, "The backlash argument is defeatism and a surrender to avoid confrontation with the prosecution," maintaining his stance.

Representative Hwang Un-ha of the same party also wrote on Facebook on the 25th, "Yoon Seok-yeol is the leading opposition presidential candidate. If he continues to shake the administration by abusing investigative authority under the logic that 'investigating the living power is prosecution reform,' accelerating national confusion and division, we cannot just stand by." He added, "We can actively consider impeachment proceedings against Yoon in the National Assembly."

Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon indirectly criticized the court's decision as a 'political ruling.' In a Facebook post on the same day, Lee wrote, "Public concern has grown that South Korea is under excessive judicial dominance. The politicization of the judiciary and judicialization of politics have exceeded dangerous levels," expressing criticism.

Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General. Photo by Yonhap News

Due to various conflicts surrounding Prosecutor General Yoon's disciplinary action, the public is ultimately experiencing fatigue. Although the President apologized, the so-called aftershocks of the suspension of Yoon's disciplinary action have not been fully resolved due to impeachment and other remarks from ruling party members.

Kim, a man in his 30s who said he watched news about Yoon daily, lamented, "I thought I could stop watching this news now, but they are now talking about impeachment beyond disciplinary action." He questioned, "Is Korean news only about Yoon's disciplinary action and the anger of Democratic Party lawmakers?" and said, "It's really tiring."

Another office worker in his 40s, Park, said, "Didn't the court also say there was a problem with the disciplinary procedure?" He added, "How are they planning to proceed with impeachment? The President has already apologized, so I want to spend the end of the year calmly."

Meanwhile, the opposition party sharply criticized President Moon's apology as a 'half-hearted apology.' On the 25th, Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a verbal statement, "We are relieved that the President apologized, even if belatedly," but added, "While respecting the court's decision, it reads as a determination to accelerate control over the prosecution, which is regrettable."

She continued, "What does an apology as the authority responsible for personnel appointments mean? Is it a debt of gratitude to Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae, who 'fulfilled the mission entrusted by the era,' or is it anger toward Prosecutor General Yoon, who investigated the 'living power' based on the President's words?" She criticized, "It would have been better not to apologize at all."

On the same day, Ahn Hye-jin, spokesperson for the People's Party, issued a statement criticizing, "In a situation where a direct apology to the people is insufficient, the President's half-hearted apology conveyed through a spokesperson, mentioning prosecution reform and reflection, makes the public feel like receiving a Christmas stocking with holes as a Christmas gift."

Ahn added, "An apology without heartfelt reflection and sincere remorse is nothing more than a meaningless show to shirk responsibility for national confusion, which everyone knows," and demanded, "Rather than emotional politics, we now expect the dignity of the nation to shed tears of sincere apology for the dozens of people dying daily and the vaccines that have not yet been secured."

Meanwhile, some within the Democratic Party are urging caution regarding the 'Yoon impeachment theory' due to concerns about political backlash. On the 26th, Democratic Party spokesperson Heo Young wrote on Facebook, "We must control our emotions," and argued, "Impeachment is likely to be dismissed by the Constitutional Court. We must not provide excuses or backlash again. We must thoroughly build legal grounds."

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