'One Vote Left'... Lee Jae-myung Urges "Please Join Ruling Party's Impeachment Vote" (Summary)

Lee Issues Public Statement Ahead of Yoon Impeachment Vote
"Duty to Uphold Constitution Beyond Party Lines and Ideologies"

On the 13th, the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, urged members of the ruling party to join the vote in favor of the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol, one day before the re-vote on the impeachment motion. So far, seven members of the People Power Party have expressed their support, and one more vote is needed for the impeachment motion to pass. The opposition expressed their determination to persuade the ruling party to vote in favor until just before the vote, despite the ruling party maintaining its stance against impeachment.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, issued a statement in the party leader's meeting room at the National Assembly that morning, saying, "Regardless of party affiliation or ideology, there is a duty to abide by the Constitution and follow the mandate of the sovereign people," and added, "Please join the vote in favor of impeachment tomorrow. History will remember your choice."

In his statement, Lee mentioned the "people" more than 30 times, simultaneously urging the public to participate in the impeachment and pressuring the ruling party to vote in favor. He emphasized, "The people's mandate is consistent, unwavering, and clear. It is that the ringleader of the insurrection, Yoon Seok-yeol, must step down immediately," and added, "A power holder who pointed guns at the people, the owners of the country, should not sit even for a minute or a second in the position of the number one servant president who serves the people."

Efforts to persuade the ruling party to support impeachment are also underway inside and outside the National Assembly. On this day, a Democratic Party official posted a large notice in front of the People Power Party floor leader's office at the National Assembly, listing the names of members who did not support impeachment, but it was removed following a protest from a People Power Party official. This shows active efforts to persuade votes in favor of impeachment. An opposition party official said, "We will continue to coax and persuade until just before the vote so that the ruling party can participate in the impeachment vote."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding an emergency meeting with heads of economic organizations at the National Assembly on the 12th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Within the People Power Party, the movement to support President Yoon's impeachment is gaining momentum. As of this day, seven members of the ruling party have publicly expressed support for the impeachment motion, including Jin Jong-oh, Han Ji-a, Cho Kyung-tae, Kim Jae-seop, Kim Sang-wook, and two members who supported the first impeachment motion, Ahn Cheol-soo and Kim Ye-ji. Some expect the number of ruling party members supporting impeachment to reach around ten. The presidential impeachment motion requires the approval of two-thirds (200 members) of the total members. Along with the 192 seats held by the opposition coalition, eight votes from the People Power Party are needed for passage.

The variable is that the People Power Party maintains its party line opposing impeachment. Kwon Seong-dong, who was elected as the new floor leader of the ruling party the day before, is a key figure in the pro-Yoon faction and still leans toward opposing impeachment. Notably, Kwon received 72 votes, a majority, in the floor leader election, more than twice the 34 votes received by Kim Tae-ho, who is considered part of the anti-Yoon faction. So far, the pro-Yoon faction within the party overwhelmingly opposes the president's impeachment. If the ruling party maintains its anti-impeachment stance in the vote the next day, there is a possibility of the motion being rejected at the last minute.

The voting gap caused by the loss of the seat of former leader Cho Kuk of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party has been resolved. The day before, Cho was sentenced to two years in prison by the Supreme Court for charges including 'child admission fraud' and 'cover-up of Blue House inspection.' Unable to participate in the impeachment vote, the party immediately began the process of proportional representation succession, and that morning, the Central Election Commission decided on Baek Seon-hee's succession as a proportional representative member.

Within the opposition, there are opinions that persuasion should be prioritized over pressure. It is known that opposition parties are individually contacting ruling party members with whom they have personal ties to inform them of the illegality of martial law and persuade them to vote in favor. An opposition party official said, "We are discussing the process of compiling and submitting a list of ruling party members with personal ties to be coaxed and selecting members to be persuaded."

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