Politics: Political Circus: 1 Million Signatures for Impeachment, Parliament Shrugs
3 July, 2024
The People's Power Party(PPP) is calling the impeachment petition against Yoon Seok-yul a conspiracy instigated by the Democratic Party of Korea and the North Korean government. Is it a proper response to call the National Assembly's petition, which must be verified by social registration number and real name, a conspiracy instigated by the Democratic Party of Korea and the North Korean government? Does this mean that the National Assembly is a North Korean spy den?
How can the People's Power Party avoid impeachment by saying that anything that goes against them is a North Korean conspiracy? These people are no longer human beings, and they should be dealt likewise.
The National Assembly's petition to impeach President Yoon Seok-yeol crossed 1 million signatures on June 3, just 13 days after it was launched on June 20. Of course, major media outlets around the world are drooling over the spectacle of South Korea's political drama unfolding online.
Australia's ABC News, always eager to jump on a sensational story, published an article on June 2 detailing the progress of the petition, the long queues, and system crashes caused by the flood of participation. They also delved into the reasons for the petition and the potential future scenarios, because who doesn’t love a good political soap opera?
"The petition calls on the National Assembly to introduce an impeachment bill against President Yoon Seok-yul as he is unfit for the presidency," ABC announced, listing the petitioners' five reasons for impeachment: alleged meddling in a young marine’s death investigation, his wife's corruption scandal, escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, pro-Japanese policies, and allowing Japan to release nuclear waste water. Talk about a laundry list of grievances.
Andy Jackson, an associate professor at Monash University's Korean Studies Research Hub, chimed in, stating the obvious: the petition "reflects a nationwide dissatisfaction with Yoon and his handling of the country's affairs." Jackson noted that with this many signatures and such a wide range of complaints, the committee is likely to recommend further action. No kidding, Andy. Otherwise, he warned, public anger could boil over and citizens could take to the streets en masse. As if we needed a reminder that protests are the default setting in South Korea when the government ignores the people.
As for the likelihood of an actual impeachment, Jackson was pessimistically optimistic, predicting it was "highly likely." He cited numerous reasons for Yoon's popularity collapse, including his hardline stance on North Korea and his decision to allow Japan to release nuclear contaminated water from Fukushima. It’s no wonder Yoon’s actions have generated "enormous animosity." Jackson even compared Yoon to the infamous Park Geun-hye, with her "one leader, one country" rule.
ABC provided a primer on South Korea’s impeachment process, highlighting the need for a two-thirds vote in the National Assembly and the final decision by the Constitutional Court. They noted that both Roh Moo-hyun (2004) and Park Geun-hye (2017) faced impeachment before, but Roh survived. A fascinating piece of historical trivia.
Lee Jong-eun, an associate professor of political science at the University of North Greenville in the U.S., added his two cents, suggesting the opposition is using the petition to send a political warning to President Yoon. He doesn’t think impeachment is possible at this point but pointed out the reasons why the situation has come to this: lack of communication with the public and the media, self-righteous administration, and a narrow inner circle of talent. ABC reminded us that Yoon has been unpopular since taking office in 2022, with his latest approval rating hovering around 25%. His ruling People’s Power party even suffered a crushing defeat in April’s general election, widely seen as a midterm vote of confidence in the president. Spoiler: it wasn’t.
Lee further explained that Yoon's veto of two opposition-pushed bills added fuel to the fire, turning accumulated dissatisfaction into a petition for impeachment. The opposition slammed Yoon’s veto as an obstruction of justice and an attempt to hide his wife Kim Gun-hee’s alleged misconduct, including receiving expensive Dior bags. ABC echoed this, noting the opposition's accusations that the veto was a cover-up attempt.
Reuters reported on January 1 that an online petition calling for Yoon's impeachment was experiencing delays and disruptions as citizens flooded the system. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik promised to resolve the issue quickly to uphold public constitutional rights. Nice to see someone’s taking it seriously.
Reuters elaborated that the petition accuses Yoon of risking war with North Korea and endangering South Koreans' health by failing to stop the release of radioactive treated water from Japan's Fukushima disaster nuclear plant. They noted Yoon’s persistent unpopularity since taking office, with his approval rating sticking around 25%.
The U.S. current affairs weekly Time, CNBC, and Hong Kong's South China Morning Post also jumped on the bandwagon, citing Reuters. Anadolu Agency in Turkey reported on the National Assembly's struggle with the massive online response, describing it as part of a petition urging lawmakers to impeach President Yoon Seok-yul for the "total mess the country is facing." Because why not add a bit more drama to the mix?