The Democratic Party's intense debate on martial law follow-up measures at the party meeting... Pro-Yoon and pro-Han factions clash over 'Yoon's party withdrawal'

Kim Yong-hyun's Dismissal and Cabinet Resignation Gain Sympathy... Pro-Yoon Faction Says 'No Resignation', Pro-Han Faction Warns 'Expulsion if Refused'
Only Some Pro-Han and Non-Yoon Members Mention 'Inevitable Impeachment'... Party Mainstream and Leadership Advocate Caution

The People Power Party is engaged in intense internal debates on the 4th regarding the follow-up response direction to President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration and lifting of martial law.

Yonhap News

On the same day, at an emergency party members' meeting held at the National Assembly, Representative Han Dong-hoon proposed three measures: President Yoon's withdrawal from the party, the total resignation of the cabinet, and the dismissal of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is reportedly the one who suggested the martial law declaration. Among these, members generally reached a consensus on the total cabinet resignation and Minister Kim's dismissal, but no conclusion was reached regarding President Yoon's withdrawal from the party.

Senior pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) lawmakers such as Kwon Seong-dong and Kim Seok-gi argued that at this point, the president's withdrawal from the party is undesirable. They opined that the president's withdrawal should be used as a strategic card for a phase change near the end of the term or for elections, and that withdrawing with half of the term remaining would only weaken the government's momentum and be meaningless.

However, some pro-Han (pro-Han Dong-hoon) lawmakers supported Representative Han's proposal, reportedly making statements to the effect of "we must let go of the hand we held with the president." Twenty-one out-of-office party branch chairpersons mainly from the pro-Han faction in the metropolitan and Gangwon regions also issued a statement saying, "The president should withdraw from the People Power Party," and "If he refuses to withdraw, the party leadership should refer the president to the Ethics Committee and take expulsion measures."

Regarding the total cabinet resignation, senior lawmakers reportedly raised opinions such as, "Since it is obvious that the opposition will not cooperate with personnel hearings for cabinet members, a total resignation is practically no different from the president's resignation," and "How about demanding a large-scale personnel reshuffle?"

Among the pro-Han faction and some anti-Yoon (anti-Yoon Seok-yeol) members, there are even opinions that they might agree with the opposition-led impeachment of President Yoon. Whether the opposition's full-scale push for President Yoon's impeachment will succeed depends on the People Power Party's position, which has secured the 'constitutional amendment and impeachment blockade line.' The approval requirement for presidential impeachment is two-thirds of the total members (over 200 votes), but the opposition alone holds 192 seats, which is insufficient.

Representative Cho Kyung-tae said on SBS Radio regarding the possibility of initiating impeachment procedures against President Yoon, "I think all possibilities should be kept open," and Representative Kim Sang-wook said on MBC Radio, "I think discussions about impeachment are inevitable." Representative Woo Jae-jun proposed a constitutional amendment to shorten the president's term at the emergency party members' meeting held at the National Assembly on the same day.

However, so far, the party leadership has shown a cautious mood toward pushing for President Yoon's impeachment. The leadership's cautious stance is closely related to the 'Park Geun-hye impeachment trauma.' It is perceived that some factions of the then Saenuri Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party) sided with Park's impeachment, leading to losing the administration and causing division and collapse within the conservative camp.

At the emergency party meeting that day, it was reported that there was a consensus among members to prevent President Yoon's impeachment or voluntary resignation. Representative Yoo Young-ha, known as a close aide to former President Park, as well as Representatives Joo Ho-young, Kwon Seong-dong, and Na Kyung-won, who had expressed support for Park's impeachment at the time, also publicly advocated caution regarding impeachment. Concerns were also voiced that if President Yoon is impeached with the opposition's cooperation, an early presidential election would be held, allowing Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung to cover his own 'judicial risks' and seize the next presidency.

Meanwhile, there are murmurs among the pro-Han faction regarding the absence of Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho and the floor leadership from the vote on the National Assembly's resolution demanding the lifting of martial law, which took place early that morning. During the plenary session vote, the floor leadership stayed in the floor leader's office within the National Assembly main building and did not enter the plenary hall despite repeated requests from Representative Han's side to participate in the vote. Regarding this, Floor Leader Choo reportedly requested before the start of the emergency party meeting, "I know what I should do about my position. Please do not mention it."

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