Opposition Party Visits Presidential Office in Protest... "Yoon Must Appear as Witness at Impeachment Hearing"

Opposition Lawmakers in National Assembly Hold Protest in Yongsan
Kim Seung-won: "Attend the Scheduled Hearing Without Fail"

Opposition lawmakers belonging to the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee (Law Committee) visited the Presidential Office to urge the attendance of presidential witnesses at the hearing related to the "Petition for the Impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol." The Law Committee has selected seven presidential office officials, including Kim Yong-hyun, Chief of the Presidential Security Service, as witnesses for the hearings scheduled on the 19th and 26th.

Kim Seung-won, the opposition party's secretary of the Law Committee, stated at a press conference held on the morning of the 12th in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul, "Since the subpoena was not received, the Law Committee members came out in person today," adding, "We will definitely deliver this document to the relevant parties." Attending the visit were lawmakers Kim, Jeon Hyun-hee, Jang Kyung-tae, Lee Geon-tae, and Lee Seong-yoon from the Democratic Party, along with Park Eun-jung from the Innovation Party for Justice. After the press conference, they attempted to enter the Presidential Office to deliver the subpoena, but police blocked them, leading to a scuffle.

Opposition members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, including Jeon Hyun-hee, Kim Seung-won, Lee Geon-tae, Jang Kyung-tae, Lee Seong-yoon, and Park Eun-jung, were involved in a scuffle with the police while visiting the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul on the 12th to protest and urge the presidential office to accept the subpoena related to the public petition for the impeachment hearing of President Yoon Seok-yeol. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

After a standoff, the opposition lawmakers handed over the subpoena to the Presidential Office and returned to hold another press conference in front of the office. However, as soon as the conference began, a presidential office official came out with the subpoena and said, "We cannot accept this," placing it on the road where the Democratic Party lawmakers were standing. In response, lawmaker Lee Geon-tae strongly protested, saying, "The Presidential Office threw the document they received on the ground," calling it "a clear criminal act." Lawmaker Jeon Hyun-hee countered, "We have legally completed the delivery," and added, "Taking back the document and throwing it on the ground is clearly an offense of invalidating official documents."

Lawmaker Park Eun-jung emphasized, "Did the Presidential Office instruct this refusal to accept the document?" and stated, "The Presidential Office refused to accept the subpoena from the National Assembly members, who represent the people, despite the obligation to cooperate with the hearing procedures." She further criticized, "They are indeed the presidential office officials of a ruthless prosecutorial dictatorship under the president." Moreover, she announced, "The Innovation Party for Justice plans to propose the 'Yoon Seok-yeol Special Prosecutor Act,' which would allow direct investigation of President Yoon if the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act is not reapproved."

Kim Seung-won, the opposition party secretary of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, is speaking on the 12th in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, urging the receipt of the witness summons. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Lawmaker Lee Seong-yoon said, "For an hour, they blocked the lawmakers as if this street were their own territory," adding, "Just as you cannot cover the sky with your palm, the truth cannot be hidden." He raised his voice, saying, "No power can defeat the people," and "Now, we will stand at the forefront of the battlefield and win." Lawmaker Jang Kyung-tae strongly condemned and warned, "We sternly and strongly denounce the violent behavior of the Presidential Office and the police," emphasizing, "We will definitely hold the responsible staff accountable."

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