Supporters of the Democratic Party are continuously calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. However, the party is more focused on the court of public opinion than the actual legal procedures for impeachment, fearing a potential backlash.
On the 10th, political sources revealed that the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, led by the Democratic Party, decided to hold an impeachment petition hearing for Yoon the day before. The hearings are scheduled for the 19th and 26th of this month. Among the 39 selected witnesses are Yoon’s wife, First Lady Kim Keon Hee, and her mother Choi Eun Soon. The Democratic Party hopes these hearings will help spread public opinion in favor of Yoon’s impeachment.
Strong supporters of the party are already in favor of impeachment. On the 3rd, Democratic Party Representative Kang Deuk Gu held a press conference with the civic group Candlelight Revolution stating, “If we ignore and reject public sentiment, more citizens will come forward for impeachment.”
Pro-Moon (Pro-Lee Jae-myung) faction’s highest-ranking candidate publicly mentions impeachment. Representative Min Hyung Bae, who is running for the highest-ranking election, stated the previous day, “The only way for South Korea to escape from the crisis is to uproot the prosecution’s dictatorship,” adding, “Nearly 80% of our citizens agree. Over 1.3 million have already signed the National Assembly impeachment petition.”
Despite these calls, the Democratic Party remains cautious about pursuing impeachment. Yoon is not yet halfway through his term and no illegal matters warranting impeachment have been proven. There is also a risk of a public backlash if impeachment is forcefully carried out. In 2004, the opposition Grand National Party and the New Millennium Democratic Party led the impeachment of then-President Roh Moo Hyun and received public criticism. The first-ever impeachment motion in the constitutional history of South Korea led to anti-impeachment candlelight protests nationwide. The opposition suffered a crushing defeat in the subsequent general elections.
The Democratic Party faces a dilemma between impeachment theory and reality. The key issue will be whether illegal matters that meet the requirements for impeachment can be proven.
Democratic Party Representative Park Kyun Taek, a member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said on MBC Radio that they will first hold a hearing on Yoon’s petition, establish the basic facts, and then delegate it to the Petition Review Subcommittee within the Legislation and Judiciary Committee for a more in-depth review. He added that the full session of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee will then decide what to report to the plenary session.