Ruling Party Leadership Candidates Criticize 'Lee Sang-min Impeachment' as "Own Goal" and "Gangster" (Summary)

Kim Ki-hyun "Yoon Impeachment Rehearsal"
Ahn Cheol-soo "Another Name for Protecting Lee Jae-myung"
Yoon Sang-hyun "We Also Bear Responsibility"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 8th, the Democratic Party of Korea passed the impeachment motion against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min in the plenary session of the National Assembly. Candidates running for the party leadership in the ruling party's convention criticized the move without exception.

Candidate Kim Ki-hyun said on his social media (SNS) on the 8th, "Just now, the Democratic Party committed a violent act by forcibly pushing through the 'Impeachment motion against Minister Lee Sang-min,'" and criticized, "It will ultimately become an own goal and a boomerang." Along with this, the image file he shared contained the message that the impeachment motion against Minister Lee is a rehearsal for impeaching President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo announced the passage of the impeachment motion against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min on the 8th at the National Assembly plenary session hall in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the same day, the Democratic Party and two other opposition parties passed the impeachment motion against Minister Lee on the 8th, holding him accountable for the inadequate response to the Itaewon disaster. This is the first time in 75 years of constitutional history that an impeachment motion has been filed against a cabinet member. Following the passage of the motion, Minister Lee's duties are suspended.

Candidate Kim pointed out, "Despite clear warnings that this would be a self-defeating move, they carried out the violent act of pushing through the impeachment motion," and said, "I am at a loss for words at the Democratic Party's 'political ruin and obstruction of state affairs.'"

He added, "No matter what tactics the Democratic Party uses, the people will never forget that all of this is a Democratic Party trick to shield Lee Jae-myung," and said, "I, Kim Ki-hyun, will do my best together with all the people to stop the Democratic Party's tyranny and to ensure the success of the Yoon Seok-yeol government and the future of the Republic of Korea."

Candidate Ahn Cheol-soo also shared an image file on SNS on the same day containing the message that "The Democratic Party's impeachment of Minister Lee is another name for 'protecting Lee Jae-myung (Democratic Party leader).'"

Candidate Yoon Sang-hyun said, "Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party committed collective gangster-like acts by leveraging their majority seats," and criticized, "The Democratic Party ultimately committed an outrageous act that should never have been done, solely for the criminal suspect Lee Jae-myung."

He continued, "The responsibility for the Democratic Party's gangster politics also lies with our People Power Party. Because we made mistakes, the irrational and anti-national group called the Democratic Party with majority seats and Lee Jae-myung was born," and appealed for support, saying, "The only way to stop the Democratic Party's atrocities is to elect a party leader who can stop their misconduct and win the next general election."

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