[Reporter’s Notebook] Expected Dismissal of Lee Sang-min’s Impeachment

The impeachment trial of Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min was dismissed with a unanimous decision by the Constitutional Court justices, proving that the initial impeachment motion by the Democratic Party of Korea was an excessive political attack. The Democratic Party claimed that Minister Lee violated more than ten constitutional and legal provisions, but the Constitutional Court did not acknowledge a single one of these allegations.

The outcome was expected. The tragic incident that claimed 159 lives understandably enraged the bereaved families and the entire nation, and it is clear that Minister Lee, as the head of the disaster management authority, responded inadequately. However, those who remember the requirements for impeachment trials and the Constitutional Court’s past rulings will understand how unreasonable the Democratic Party’s forced impeachment motion was.

This is because the Constitutional Court clearly stated when it dismissed the impeachment trial against President Roh Moo-hyun 20 years ago that a dismissal decision can only be made when a “serious violation of the law” justifying removal from office is recognized. Of course, the standards for assessing the severity of legal violations differ between the president and ministers, but it is a well-known fact that an impeachment trial can only be accepted if a legal violation serious enough to remove a minister from office is acknowledged.

It is unlikely that the Democratic Party, filled with legal experts, was unaware of this standard set by the Constitutional Court. Despite knowing that the motion would obviously be dismissed, they exploited public anger for political purposes, making it difficult to avoid criticism for abusing the impeachment system. There is suspicion that this was used as a means to shift the political situation while multiple prosecutorial investigations against Representative Lee Jae-myung were underway. Minister Lee’s conduct certainly had issues. However, holding him politically accountable and filing an impeachment trial?a last resort to remove public officials who have committed unconstitutional or illegal acts?are entirely different matters.

Due to the Democratic Party’s excessive impeachment push, Minister Lee, who is responsible for disaster management and the overall administrative safety of the nation, was suspended from duty and only able to return after 167 days, while the Constitutional Court had to devote several months to deliberating the case, delaying other important cases. This is not the first time. The impeachment trial against former Chief Judge Im Seong-geun, who was appointed to the bench despite then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo’s mention of the impeachment being pushed by the ruling Democratic Party, was dismissed for procedural impropriety. In both cases, the public ultimately suffered harm, yet the Democratic Party has not expressed any regret.

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