People Power Party: "Democratic Party Leadership Is the Real Target for Impeachment... Sang-min Lee Must Apologize for Impeachment"

Yoon Jae-ok "Reasons to Pass the Itaewon Special Act Have Disappeared"

The People Power Party demanded an apology from the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea regarding the dismissal of the impeachment petition against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min. The People Power Party also argued that the Constitutional Court's ruling eliminated the reason to pass the Itaewon Special Act.

Kim Gi-hyeon, leader of the People Power Party, criticized at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 26th, saying, "It is the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea who led the impeachment of Minister Lee who should be the subject of impeachment." Kim stated, "The Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment motion against Minister Lee," and introduced, "As if to prove that it was unreasonable from the start, all nine justices unanimously decided that there was no serious legal violation or constitutional duty breach by Minister Lee." He added, "This is the result 167 days after the impeachment motion was unilaterally pushed through the plenary session on February 8," and pointed out, "The forced impeachment was intended to evade criticism of judicial risks directed at their own party."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He criticized, "I ask the 179 lawmakers who supported the impeachment motion at the time, what exactly is gained from such absurd obstinacy? For the first time in 75 years of constitutional history, the forced impeachment of a cabinet member created a nearly six-month vacancy in the commander responsible for public safety."

Kim said, "At this point, it is common sense that the Democratic Party should apologize for their irresponsible 'reckless violence' and 'impeachment' and that the party leadership should take responsibility," and he pointed out, "Nevertheless, contrary to this common sense, the Democratic Party still brings up impeachment like a panacea."

He added, "If the Democratic Party were a party with common sense, voices calling for the party leadership's responsibility would emerge," and condemned, "Those who irresponsibly exercise their authority in an all-or-nothing manner despite being entrusted with serious state affairs are a social evil more severe than reckless violence."

Kim stated, "The Democratic Party has been wielding impeachment as a trump card for their factional interests without regard for the public good, following hunger strikes, head shavings, and outdoor protests," and revealed, "The administrative vacuum caused by pushing the impeachment bill purely for political conflict has been borne entirely by the people."

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, said, "The Democratic Party is showing a brazen attitude," and criticized, "Once the Constitutional Court's ruling was out, the Democratic Party should have at least apologized for abusing the impeachment right and leaving the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the department overseeing disaster management, leaderless for nearly six months." He added, "The Democratic Party repeatedly demands Minister Lee's resignation, claiming that the legal and ethical domains are different, and announced they will push for the passage of the Itaewon Special Act (Special Act on Guaranteeing the Rights of Victims, Investigation, and Prevention of Recurrence of the 10·29 Itaewon Disaster), saying it has become even more important," and argued, "If they understood the distinction between legal and ethical responsibility, they should not have forcibly pushed the impeachment motion in the first place."

He continued, "The Constitutional Court ruled that Minister Lee cannot be considered to have violated his constitutional duty to protect the people, the Disaster and Safety Act, or the National Public Officials Act," and said, "The Constitutional Court's ruling clearly states that there is no legal violation to investigate under the Itaewon Special Act. Nevertheless, insisting on pushing the Itaewon Special Act disregards the intent of the Constitutional Court's ruling and is the height of selfishness aimed at shaking the Yoon Seok-yeol administration for their own political gain."

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