Opposing Reactions from Ruling and Opposition Parties to Lee Sang-min's Impeachment Dismissed After 167 Days

"An Inevitable Outcome" vs "No One Takes Responsibility for the Disaster"
Clash Expected Over the Enactment of the Itaewon Special Act

The reactions of the ruling and opposition parties sharply diverged over the Constitutional Court's ruling dismissing the National Assembly's impeachment petition against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min. While the opposition accepted the court's decision, they criticized it as a ruling with no one held accountable for the social disaster, whereas the ruling party argued that the Democratic Party, which pushed for the reckless impeachment, should take responsibility.

On the 25th, the Constitutional Court ruled that it was unjust to dismiss Minister Lee, who was impeached over responsibility for the October 29 Itaewon tragedy. Accordingly, Minister Lee returned to work after 167 days of suspension.

The ruling party called the court's decision a "natural outcome" and urged the Democratic Party to bear the political responsibility that follows.

Yoo Sang-beom, the senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, said on CBS Radio on the 26th, "For an impeachment to proceed, there must be clear evidence of constitutional or legal violations to hold someone accountable, but now it is simply that political responsibility is not being taken, so impeachment is pursued," adding, "They themselves have admitted that impeachment is a political act."

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who returned to duty after the Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment motion, is addressing the press on the afternoon of the 25th before heading to the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in the Government Sejong Complex.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Byung-min, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, explained on KBS Radio the same day, "An impeachment of a minister must involve serious violations of the constitution and laws," and "Putting aside Minister Lee's remarks and the controversies at the time, it was unclear what laws or constitutional provisions were violated."

He also argued that the Democratic Party should be held responsible for the disaster and emergency control tower vacuum caused by the prolonged impeachment review. Kim said, "There were many voices from the start that the impeachment was unreasonable," and "Nevertheless, the Democratic Party recklessly pushed the impeachment forward based on their 169 seats. It was a very bad decision that caused administrative gaps in the Yoon Seok-yeol government."

On the other hand, the opposition criticized the ruling as a decision that did not hold Minister Lee, the highest person responsible for the Itaewon tragedy, accountable.

Jin Sun-mi, head of the Democratic Party’s Minister Lee Impeachment Response Task Force, released a statement on Facebook on the 25th in the name of the TF, saying, "If you think all of Minister Lee’s words and actions have been exonerated by this ruling, it will be a fast-track ticket dragging the Republic of Korea into ruin," and added, "It is tragic that despite a horrific man-made disaster occurring, no one is held responsible, and no one can be held accountable in the current reality."

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-jin pointed out on SBS Radio on the 26th, "The ruling clearly pointed out that the Minister of the Interior and Safety, who should be responsible for the safety of the people, was insufficient in both prevention and response during the social disaster," and said, "Considering that 159 young lives were lost in this incident and that no one is held responsible for this social disaster, we need to reflect on whether this was an appropriate ruling."

The opposition plans to enact the "October 29 Itaewon Tragedy Special Act" to investigate the truth and establish measures to prevent recurrence. This bill was designated as a fast-track bill led by the opposition on the 30th of last month.

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