Democratic Party "Yoon Impeachment Vote Scheduled for 7 PM on the 7th... Will Give Time for People Power Party Lawmakers to Consider"

by Na Juseok

Published 05 Dec.2024 11:07(KST)

Updated 05 Dec.2024 12:55(KST)

Speaker's Office "Plans to Consult with Both Parties on Schedule"

The parliamentary vote on the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol is expected to take place on the evening of the 7th.

Cho Seung-rae, the chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, said after an emergency Supreme Council meeting that day, "The vote on President Yoon's impeachment bill is scheduled to take place around 7 PM on the 7th," adding, "We will consult with the Speaker's office."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 5th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Regarding the decision to hold the vote on the 7th instead of the initially anticipated 6th, Chief Spokesperson Cho explained, "The public needs some time regarding the impeachment bill, and similarly, members of the People Power Party also need time to deliberate politically on the unconstitutional and illegal acts of rebellion and coup d'?tat, so we decided on this." This is interpreted as an intention to give more time to consider and persuade the People Power Party members who have expressed opposition to the impeachment bill as the party line.

An official from the Speaker's office stated, "The time for convening the plenary session must be decided through an agreement among the negotiating parties," adding, "Since the 7th is a new date to set the plenary session, and the impeachment bill has already been reported, if it is not processed within 72 hours, it will be discarded. Therefore, Speaker Woo Won-sik will negotiate with both ruling and opposition parties on whether to set the date on the 7th as requested by the Democratic Party."

The six opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, submitted the impeachment bill against President Yoon the previous day and reported it to the plenary session early that morning. The impeachment motion must be voted on between 24 hours and 72 hours after being reported to the plenary session. The six opposition parties submitted the impeachment motion, arguing that President Yoon violated the principles of popular sovereignty and separation of powers, as well as the Constitution and laws, in relation to the emergency martial law he declared on the 3rd.