Rapidly Changing Political Situation After Yoon's Statement 'Leave It to the Party'... Is Impeachment Likely to Be Rejected?

Atmosphere in People Power Party Changes After Statement
Impeachment Impossible if 108 People Power Party Members Vote Against
Opposition: "If It Doesn't Work, We'll Push Impeachment Until It Does"

"Including the term, we will entrust the future political stability measures to our party."

The political direction is rapidly changing following President Yoon Seok-yeol's emergency address. This is because the movement of the Chinhan (Chinhan Donghun) faction, which cast the deciding vote for President Yoon's impeachment, is unfolding in an unusual manner.

After President Yoon's emergency national address on the 7th, the People Power Party (PPP) has been moving busily. Senior PPP lawmakers have begun to raise their voices against impeachment. Their plan is to block impeachment for now and shift the focus to discussions such as constitutional amendments for shortening the presidential term.

On the 7th, the day of the vote on the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol, citizens are watching President Yoon's national address in the waiting room of Seoul Station.

PPP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun said in a meeting with reporters, "The current situation is the responsibility of all of us," adding, "It is cowardly to shift the responsibility solely onto the president now." He stated, "We will first reject impeachment and, as a united front, the party will take the lead in presenting a blueprint for government reform, including constitutional amendments to shorten the term." PPP lawmaker Na Kyung-won commented on the president's address, saying, "It is time to gather wisdom to show a responsible image to the people." Earlier, Na also posted on social media, "Now, various solutions including constitutional amendment discussions will be proposed," and added, "What should not be forgotten is that discussions must also be held to restrain not only the imperial presidency but also the abnormal parliament." This is interpreted as mentioning the opposition party's responsibility in addition to the president's responsibility.

Across the political spectrum, there was a widespread expectation that the impeachment vote scheduled for the afternoon of the 7th would likely be rejected. This is because the PPP, still unable to shake off the aftereffects of impeachment eight years ago, was expected to collectively oppose impeachment. Impeachment requires the approval of two-thirds of the total members, i.e., 200 lawmakers, but the PPP holds 108 seats, enough to block the president's impeachment.

However, since 18 PPP lawmakers participated in the lifting of martial law, and PPP leader Han Dong-hoon strongly opposed President Yoon's martial law, there was speculation about possible changes.

Nevertheless, President Yoon's national address stating "I will entrust it to the party" seems likely to have been coordinated in advance with Leader Han. It is known that Leader Han conveyed the position that, regarding opposition to impeachment, besides the logic of "opposing because the party would be in trouble," there is a need for a rationale to persuade the public. This is interpreted as seeking a way to convincingly communicate solutions other than impeachment to the people.

Chinhan faction leader PPP lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae also changed his stance from initially supporting impeachment to "following Leader Han's will." He emphasized, "It is important to quickly draft a roadmap for early resignation," confirming his position to resolve the political situation by means other than impeachment.

Another PPP lawmaker who had expressed support for impeachment, Ahn Cheol-soo, stated in a press release that "Yesterday, in front of the media and the people, I demanded President Yoon's resignation schedule and the formation plan of a national unity cabinet," and added, "Since President Yoon has now entrusted his position to the party, the party needs to clarify the resignation schedule and the formation of a national unity cabinet before the vote." Ahn said, "If the resignation schedule is not established before the vote, my position to follow the will of the people remains unchanged." This means that if the PPP does not present a resignation schedule, he will vote in favor of impeachment. While this can be seen as a message pressuring the party, it also implies that if the party proposes a resignation schedule, he may withdraw his support for impeachment.

The opposition party is pushing for impeachment but has stated that if it is rejected, they will "continue to push until it passes." Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party, announced plans to immediately reintroduce impeachment at the extraordinary session starting on the 11th if it is rejected. The regular session is legally set to end on the 10th of this month, and according to the National Assembly Act's principle of non-repetition within the same session, "a rejected bill cannot be reintroduced or submitted again within the same session."

Park said, "Once the extraordinary session starts on the 11th, we will immediately submit the bill, go through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and if it is brought to the plenary session, it will take about 3 to 4 days if done quickly." In response, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said, "We will do it until it passes," adding, "We should push it in weekly segments."

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