'Impeachment Vote' Gains Momentum... Ruling Party Begins Public Support

South Korea "Yoon Attempts to Arrest and Detain Key Politicians"
Impeachment Bill Passes with Support from 8 Members
Senior Lawmakers Mainly Say "No to Impeachment Participation"
Heated Debate Expected at Emergency Party Meeting at 11 AM

The 'Impeachment Motion Against President Yoon Suk-yeol' has gained momentum. Initially, the People Power Party had set a party line to reject the impeachment motion, but the atmosphere shifted after Han Dong-hoon, the party leader, revealed on the 6th that 'President Yoon attempted to arrest and detain key politicians.' People Power Party lawmakers are reportedly deliberating ahead of the final vote on the impeachment motion, which will be presented at the plenary session on the 7th. The impeachment motion will pass if just eight members of the ruling party vote in favor.

On the 6th, citizens at the Seoul Station waiting room watched news related to Representative Han Dong-hoon of the People Power Party expressing the opinion that President Yoon Seok-yeol's prompt suspension from duty is necessary. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Considering the gravity of the situation, Leader Han convened an unscheduled Supreme Council meeting that morning. At the emergency Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, Han stated, "Given the newly revealed facts, I judge that an immediate suspension of President Yoon Suk-yeol's duties is necessary to protect the Republic of Korea and its people." He added, "If President Yoon continues to perform his presidential duties, there is a high risk of a recurrence of extreme actions like the current martial law, which could put the Republic of Korea and its citizens in great danger."

According to Leader Han, Yeo In-hyung, the counterintelligence commander, intended to detain the arrested politicians at a detention facility in Gwacheon. Han said, "Last night, on the day the martial law was declared, I confirmed through reliable sources that President Yoon ordered Yeo, his high school junior and the counterintelligence commander, to arrest key politicians on the grounds that they were anti-state forces, and that the president mobilized intelligence agencies to arrest politicians." He also pointed out, "President Yoon has not taken any personnel actions against military officials illegally involved in this incident, nor has Commander Yeo been subject to any personnel measures."

Attention is focused on how far the impact of Leader Han's remarks will extend. Jo Kyung-tae, a People Power Party lawmaker, became the first among ruling party members to publicly express support for the president's impeachment. After the Supreme Council meeting, Jo told reporters, "It is up to politicians to decide whether to side with those who want to suspend the president's duties and the people, or to become collaborators of the forces that declared martial law." The previous day, five young lawmakers in their 70s and 80s from the People Power Party (Kim Sang-wook, Kim So-hee, Kim Ye-ji, Kim Jae-seop, and Woo Jae-jun) stated they had not decided on their stance regarding the impeachment motion, leaving the possibility of its passage open.

Handonghun, the leader of the People Power Party, is listening to the remarks of Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 5th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

On the other hand, among senior lawmakers, the policy to reject impeachment appears to be maintained. Yoon Sang-hyun stated on his social media that "We cannot helplessly hand over power to the Democratic Party led by Lee Jae-myung," and added, "I cannot join the impeachment of the president not to protect President Yoon but to protect the Republic of Korea's system, future generations, and the future."

People Power Party lawmakers are reportedly individually contemplating the issue ahead of the plenary vote. Although the party line was initially set to reject the impeachment motion, some senior lawmakers spoke out, and the floor leader, Choo Kyung-ho, unilaterally made the decision, leading to voices questioning the legitimacy of the party line decision. A People Power Party lawmaker said in a phone interview, "I understand that everyone is scattered and thinking individually," adding, "Each of our decisions carries great weight, and we are all considering what alternatives to propose." A heated debate is expected at the emergency general meeting scheduled for 11 a.m.

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