The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Democratic Party chair says won’t impeach acting president for now

By Kim Arin

Published : Dec. 15, 2024 - 16:12

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Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung speaks during a press conference held a day after the National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. (Yonhap) Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung speaks during a press conference held a day after the National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. (Yonhap)

The Democratic Party of Korea is hitting pause on its continuous push to impeach members of the Cabinet and other heads of government agencies.

Rep. Lee Jae-myung said Sunday his party would not impeach Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, despite accusing him of being complicit in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s shock martial law imposition.

Lee, the leader of the Democratic Party whose chances for another presidential run appear greater than ever, was speaking at a press conference held the day after a historic vote by the National Assembly to impeach Yoon, who has been suspended from his duties until a decision by the Constitutional Court.

Lee said some in the Democratic Party believe the acting president should also face impeachment for his role in the events that led to the martial law imposition, which the party has characterized as insurrection.

“But since Prime Minister Han has already assumed office as acting president, we have decided not to pursue an impeachment process for now, as we believe that too many impeachments could lead to more chaos in the country,” the Democratic Party leader said.

Lee said that in his brief phone call with Han on Saturday, he called for the acting president to “stay neutral, and run the country from the position of an acting president, not as a prime minister from the ruling party.” Lee said Han agreed with him on the call.

Lee said he also asked Han to exercise his veto powers with caution, and "consider the differences in policy positions between the ruling and opposition parties." "Vetoing policies of one party would be political bias," he said, in an apparent jab at Yoon having repeatedly vetoed Democratic Party-led bills, such as one for launching a special counsel investigation of his wife and first lady Kim Keon Hee.

In a gesture of backing down from partisan clashes, Lee said the Democratic Party would “actively cooperate with all parties to stabilize the state of affairs, and restore the trust of our international partners in our country.”

Lee proposed forming a council to gather the Assembly and the government with the aim of “stabilizing the country." “The National Assembly and the government will work together to get through the crisis that has engulfed our country as a whole,” he said.