The "Responsibility Aftershock" Triggered by Yoon Hee-sook... Lee Nak-yeon's Resignation Handling Temporarily Postponed

Embarrassed Ruling and Opposition Party Lawmakers Accused of Speculation
Ruling and Opposition Parties' Lukewarm Response, Uncertain Resignation Measures

Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party, is attending the plenary session held at the National Assembly plenary hall on the 13th and making a personal statement before the meeting begins. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Junyi Park and Juyoun Oh] As the resignation bill of Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party, was processed in the National Assembly plenary session, it is expected to trigger aftershocks in the political sphere. Since she emphasized the ‘responsibility of politicians’ and left, the positions of ruling and opposition party lawmakers named together in the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) speculation suspicion list will become awkward. The processing of the resignation of Lee Nak-yeon, a former leader of the Democratic Party and a ruling party presidential candidate, has been tentatively postponed.

Currently, the People Power Party has decided to expel lawmaker Han Mu-kyung among the 12 members suspected of speculation announced by the ACRC, and has requested five lawmakers?Kang Ki-yoon, Lee Joo-hwan, Lee Cheol-gyu, Jung Chan-min, and Choi Chun-sik?to leave the party. However, according to the party on the 14th, no lawmaker has yet expressed an intention to leave the party.

The party is postponing measures while focusing on pressing issues such as the ‘accusation of report solicitation.’ On this day, Kim Ki-hyun, the floor leader of the People Power Party, after the floor strategy meeting, told reporters regarding the expulsion of one lawmaker, "We are discussing it," and added, "We will find an appropriate method." There has been no progress yet in forming an ethics committee for the withdrawal measures. The party leadership is searching for an ethics committee chairman, but even if the ethics committee is formed, it is uncertain whether withdrawal measures against the relevant lawmakers will be implemented.

Due to Yoon’s decision, the ruling party is also not free from responsibility. Among the 12 members listed by the ACRC in June, two proportional representation lawmakers, Yoon Mi-hyang and Yang Yi-won-young, were expelled, and the rest were urged to leave the party but still maintain their party membership. Among them, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Han-jung was cleared of charges after receiving a ‘no indictment’ disposition from the police the day before.

Separately, the processing of the resignation bill of former leader Lee, who declared ‘resignation from the National Assembly’ to demonstrate sincerity for regime re-creation, is also a matter of concern. Lee, who declared his resignation, is organizing his office belongings on the 9th, just one day after the declaration, and is demanding prompt processing by the party. Since Yoon’s resignation was approved at the National Assembly plenary session the day before, the possibility of processing Lee’s resignation bill is increasing, but the party still holds a lukewarm stance. Although the party deliberated on whether to process it in a closed meeting the day before, no decision was made. On this day, floor spokesperson Shin Hyun-young said, "The processing of former leader Lee’s resignation is still under discussion."

Former leader Lee also had a separate meeting with Speaker Park Byeong-seok on the morning of this day. At this meeting, Lee is expected to request prompt processing of his resignation from the National Assembly. Lee’s side stated, "Since his will is very firm, he plans to meet Speaker Park, whom he had no chance to meet face-to-face due to overseas trips, to appeal his sincerity directly."

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