Politics: National Assembly Judiciary Committee's Impeachment Hearing - Ridiculous View of PPP

Politics: National Assembly Judiciary Committee's Impeachment Hearing - Ridiculous View of People Power Party(PPP) 

9 July, 2024

The National Assembly's Judicial Affairs Committee decided to hold a hearing on a petition to impeach President Yoon Seok-yul on the 9th. The ruling party is vehemently opposed to these impeachment hearings but grudgingly agreed to attend the committee.

 South Korean President Yun Seok-yul and his wife Kim Kyeon-hee arrive in Hawaii South Korean President Yun Seok-yul and his wife Kim Kyeon-hee arrive at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, U.S., on Monday (local time), wearing welcome flower necklaces and receiving the Colossus salute of the Tiger Soldiers as they exit the airport ahead of their participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 75th anniversary summit. Photo: Yonhap

At a National Assembly meeting, Chu Kyung-ho, leader of the ruling party, scoffed, "The Democratic Party is revealing their impatience to impeach the president far too early." He pointed out that the Judicial Committee's plans for an impeachment hearing coincided with the anniversary of a young soldier's tragic death, calling it a shameless political maneuver.

Chu dismissed the petition as "ridiculous," arguing that it "shouldn't even be entertained, let alone processed." He criticized the Democratic Party for "screaming impeachment at every turn" instead of focusing on real issues affecting people's lives. He called the Democrats' unilateral push for impeachment hearings a dangerous and unnecessary distraction.

Critics noted that the Democratic Party was trying to rush the Judiciary Committee's meeting without appointing a ruling party secretary. Rep. Yoo Sang-beom accused Judiciary Committee Chairman Chung Cheong-rae and the Democratic Party of deliberately ignoring the appointment request for the National People's Power secretary and unilaterally setting the hearing schedule for the impeachment petition.

Yoo slammed the Democratic Party for ignoring "dialogue, compromise, and checks and balances," saying they turned the Judiciary Committee into their personal playground. He stressed that impeachment is an extreme measure, reserved for significant constitutional or legal violations, not for political games. Yoo warned that the public would not tolerate the Democratic Party's political violence and mockery of the impeachment system.

Chu also expressed regret that the Judiciary Committee chairman had yet to appoint the ruling party's secretary, calling it an unprecedented and deliberate delay. He urged for the immediate appointment of the secretary to ensure smooth decision-making processes within the committee.

He concluded by stating that the ruling party's members on the Judiciary Committee would attend the hearing and respond accordingly but refrained from providing specific details, asking for understanding.