Lee Jae-myung Hints at 'Yoon Impeachment'... Struggles to Contain Opposition Party Fallout

Distance from Impeachment Talks Among Party Members... "Principled Remarks"
Seol Hoon, Kim Yong-min, and Others Have Already Mentioned Impeachment Multiple Times Within the Party

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, caused a stir in the opposition party by suggesting impeachment of the president with his remark, "If it goes against the national interest and the people's welfare, it must be removed." Ahead of the general election, there is concern that impeachment backlash could rally the ruling party's supporters, so they appear to be distancing themselves from the impeachment issue for now.

The controversial remark came during an interview on the 6th, the seventh day of Lee's hunger strike. In the interview with the YouTube channel "Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult News Factory," he said, "The people must monitor whether the players in the ring are truly working for the people, point out mistakes, and if their actions go against the national interest and the people's welfare, they must be removed. That is democracy," adding, "Ultimately, democracy must be protected by the people, the owners."

Within the Democratic Party, impeachment discussions have been raised several times. On the 5th, Rep. Seol Hoon said during a parliamentary question session regarding the investigation pressure allegations related to the late Corporal Chae Soo-geun, "If investigated, the conclusion will naturally be abuse of power. There is enough possibility to proceed to impeachment." Earlier, on the 22nd of last month, Rep. Kim Yong-min proposed, citing the government's response to the Fukushima contaminated water discharge, "Let's file an impeachment motion solely by the Democratic Party."

Amid this, the party leader's impeachment-suggestive remarks caused a political uproar. The People Power Party strongly criticized Lee's remarks, calling them "sedition" and "refusal to accept the presidential election results."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is sitting in a tent in front of the National Assembly on the 8th day of his hunger strike on the 7th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Currently, Democratic Party figures are responding cautiously to impeachment talks.

Democratic Party Rep. Jin Sung-jun said, "It was not about impeaching but a fundamental statement." On the 7th, on SBS Radio, Jin said, "It was not a remark directly targeting the president, but since our constitution stipulates impeachment for the president and cabinet, calling it sedition is absurd. It is a constitutional procedure," adding, "He was talking about the fundamentals of democracy, so it should not be overreacted to."

The claim is that Lee's remarks do not mean he intends to push for President Yoon's impeachment but rather that impeachment is possible if the president violates the constitution and laws, a fundamental principle.

Democratic Party Rep. Woo Sang-ho also said, "It was a fundamental remark, and the Democratic Party is not currently preparing or attempting impeachment." On the same day on CBS Radio, Woo said, "There is a general awareness of the Yoon Seok-youl administration's extremely ruthless oppression and incompetence, and as the opposition party, there is a consensus on the need for strong struggle to sound the alarm on this issue. However, views on impeachment are currently a minority opinion," adding, "The majority believes it is not the time to move into an impeachment phase."

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won also interpreted in an MBC Radio interview that "Among the grassroots public opinion, there are sentiments both for 'removing him' and 'not allowing it.' Lee sent a strong warning that President Yoon must understand public sentiment well."

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