Ruling party criticizes DP’s push to hold hearing on Yoon’s impeachment

Jul 11, 2024, 10:33 am

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Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on July 10, 2024./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Joo Young-min

Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, refuted the main opposition Democratic Party’s pledge to hold a hearing on July 19 and 26 to address an online petition demanding the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, calling it “invalid.”

“The DP’s pushing to hold a hearing is a riot that destroys the Constitution and laws and paralyzes state administration, and is a mess that divides public opinion,” Choo said during a press conference at the National Assembly. “It has already left people with irreparable pain and conflict in the past.”

“The DP proposed a plan to hold a hearing to address a petition demanding the impeachment of the president to the legislation and judiciary committee yesterday, and unilaterally decided on a plan to carry out the hearing,” Choo said. “The Legislation and Judiciary Committee, who is known as the senate of the national assembly, adopted 39 witnesses and 7 reference persons with only two-page petitions that do not conform to the Constitution and law, and demanded 266 submissions from 23 agencies.”

“The impeachment process of the president must be initiated by more than a half of the members of the National Assembly, and the right to impeach the president is activated only when the investigation is referred to the Judiciary Committee through a resolution of the plenary session,” he said.

“The impeachment hearing is being pushed as Legislative Judiciary Committee Chairman Jung Chung-rae illegally exercised his right to investigate even though there were no resolution at the plenary session,” he said. “At the time of the Moon Jae-in administration in 2020, 1.46 million people agreed to a petition calling for the impeachment of President Moon Jae-in.”

“The public will never tolerate impeachment inquiry proceedings conducted under the guise of a hearing to realize a conspiracy to impeach a president who was elected by 16.39 million voters in accordance with due election procedures. A lawmaker should take the impeachment issue very seriously, and should never push ahead with it carelessly,” he said.

On Wednesday, the legislation and judiciary committee adopted a plan to hold the hearing and handle the request for witnesses and reference unilaterally.

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