THE country’s opposition says it will hold back a decision to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo (pic) until later in the week.
The opposition Democratic Party earlier said it would introduce an impeachment motion against Han yesterday to protest against the interim leader’s refusal to sign into law special Bills to investigate his impeached predecessor.
“We have decided to exercise patience, taking into account the sentiments of the people, and wait until the 26th (tomorrow) to determine whether our demands are met,” floor leader Park Chan-dae said.
The party had originally set Christmas Eve as the deadline for Han to promulgate two special Bills investigating suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived imposition of martial law, as well as graft allegations surrounding his wife, Kim Keon-hee.
The conservative leader was stripped of his duties by parliament on Dec 14 following his brief declaration of martial law 11 days earlier, which plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades.
Yoon is now waiting for a decision by the Constitutional Court, which requires six votes in favour from its nine-member bench in order for the impeachment motion to be passed. Currently three seats are empty, and can be appointed.
But Han, who had stepped in to replace Yoon, rejected the opposition’s demand at a Cabinet meeting yesterday and insisted on bipartisan agreements for the two Bills.
Han’s stance “left us no other option but to interpret it as his intention to continue the insurrection by delaying proceedings,” Park told a press briefing earlier yesterday.
Yoon is currently under investigation by a joint team comprising police, the defence ministry and anti-corruption investigators.
Yesterday, Yoon Jong-kun, the Democratic Party spokesperson, told reporters that the impeachment motion against Han had been “unanimously adopted” as the party’s official stance.
The reasons for impeachment include not only rejecting the two Bills but also “actively participating in and supporting the insurrection” and “attempting to exercise another form of power while the president’s authority had not yet formally ended after the insurrection”.
Once an impeachment Bill is submitted then formally introduced at a plenary session, it must be voted on within 24 to 72 hours.
According to the opposition, it needs only a simple majority in the 300-member parliament to impeach Han because this is the threshold for a Cabinet member.
The ruling People Power Party, however, argues that a two-thirds majority is required since Han is currently serving as acting president.
Kweon Seong-dong, leader of the ruling People Power Party, said the Democratic Party’s “coercive politics have reached their peak”, adding that they are “constantly interfering with the legitimate exercise of the acting president’s authority”.
“This behaviour is no different from that of gangsters who threaten retaliation if money is not deposited,” said Kweon. — AFP/Reuters
