[Summary] "Impeachment Possible" vs "Need to Build Justification" Conflict Within Ruling Party Over Yoon Seok-yeol Impeachment Debate

Kim Du-kwan "Impeachment Power, Traditional Weapon of the Legislature" Calls for Impeachment Debate
Some Party Members Raise Caution... "Constitutional Court May Dismiss"
Former Lawmaker Lee Seok-hyun "Impeachment Ineffective... Need to Appoint Chief of Public Corruption Investigation Office"

Kim Du-gwan, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Conflict within the ruling party is deepening as Kim Du-kwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, called for the impeachment of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol. While some lawmakers argue that impeaching Prosecutor General Yoon is necessary to overcome the current political situation, others have raised cautious opinions, warning that it could backfire.

Earlier, on the 27th, Kim stated on his Facebook post, "Impeachment of Yoon Seok-yeol is entirely possible."

On that day, he pointed out, "Prosecutor General Yoon abused prosecutorial investigative authority to infringe upon the president's personnel rights, effectively directed judicial surveillance to attack the administration, refused and obstructed inspections of himself and his close aides, thereby rejecting control according to the national power order," and added, "In fact, he violated the duty of neutrality of the prosecution in every possible way and engaged in biased political activities."

He further emphasized, "There is absolutely no reason for the Democratic Party to hesitate in impeaching Prosecutor General Yoon, who has infringed upon the nation's greatest legal interests," and "Impeachment is necessary to achieve institutional reform effectively."

The following day (the 28th), Kim also sent a letter to Democratic Party lawmakers appealing for them to unite in support of the impeachment of the Prosecutor General. In this letter, he argued, "It is the role and duty of the legislature to control and check the judiciary and executive branches, and the power of impeachment is the legislature's most traditional weapon."

Meanwhile, on the same day, Min Hyung-bae, also from the same party, contributed an article titled "Impeachment of Yoon Seok-yeol Will Not Cause a Backlash" to 'OhmyNews'.

In this article, Min stated, "What the Democratic Party must do right now is the complete separation of investigative and prosecutorial powers, and the impeachment of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol," emphasizing, "Impeachment is not a punishment against the individual Yoon Seok-yeol, but a necessary measure to break the spearhead of the prosecution organization, which plays a central role in the conservative cartel, thereby enabling the rational and efficient arrangement of other tasks."

As voices calling for the impeachment of Prosecutor General Yoon continue within the party, cautious opinions have also emerged. There are concerns that premature impeachment could lead to a backlash.

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is heading to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building in Seocho-gu, Seoul by car on the afternoon of the 28th. / Photo by Yonhap News

On the same day, Heo Young, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook, "Impeachment could lead to dismissal by the Constitutional Court," and added, "We must control our emotions."

He further stressed, "We must not provide grounds for a backlash. We need to thoroughly build legal justification," and emphasized, "We must completely separate investigation and prosecution, appoint prosecutors and judges openly, strengthen the jury system, and clarify the separation of powers more clearly."

Lee Seok-hyun, a former Democratic Party lawmaker and former vice speaker of the National Assembly, also wrote on Facebook on the 26th, "While the impeachment argument may be satisfying, we must also consider the anguish if public opinion worsens after the indictment."

Lee pointed out, "The National Assembly can impeach, but the Constitutional Court is difficult. The impeachment request for the Prosecutor General can be passed with a majority of 151 seats in the National Assembly, which is sufficient with the current seats, but it is difficult to get six or more votes out of nine judges with at least seven judges present in the Constitutional Court."

He added, "Impeachment is a procedure to dismiss a high-ranking public official, but the disciplinary committee of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae issued a two-month suspension, not dismissal or removal, which is a major obstacle to impeachment," and predicted, "Since the judgment procedure after the National Assembly process is cautious, the impeachment grounds will end with the expiration of the Prosecutor General's term during that period."

Lee concluded, "Rather than a loud but ineffective impeachment, what the National Assembly should promptly do now is separate prosecutorial investigative powers and elect a conscientious head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials," and criticized, "The legislature is above the judiciary, but if it is led around despite having an overwhelming majority, it is a dereliction of duty by the National Assembly."

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