The Democratic Party of Korea has proposed an impeachment bill against Acting President and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok and has been launching a barrage of attacks. With a series of judicial rulings expected this week, the party has defined Choi's actions as a 'violation of constitutional order,' interpreting it as an intention to rally support by applying maximum pressure.
Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae, at a National Assembly press briefing on the 23rd, targeted Acting President Choi, saying, "A rotten potato, proven incompetent, must be separated from the sack," and made sharp remarks.
Park noted, "Acting President Choi has been committing criminal acts that violate the constitutional order for nearly three months," adding, "The push for impeachment against Choi is a decisive action to uphold the constitutional order."
In particular, mindful of concerns about a 'backlash,' Park said, "There are some criticisms that impeaching the economic head will cause instability in the economy," but pointed out that "various economic indicators have been extremely poor during the three years of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration; who was responsible for the economy during that period?"
Park stated, "(Choi) has been proven to be without conviction and incompetent. I left some seed potatoes for the economic community, but they have turned out to be rotten," and asked, "Would it be good for the economy for someone who has violated the constitution to retain the position of Minister of Economy and Finance?"
Some within the party have expressed concerns that, with the Constitutional Court's ruling on Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's impeachment scheduled for the 24th, it would not be necessary to push ahead with an ineffective impeachment that could invite public backlash. An impeachment bill is automatically dismissed if not voted on within 72 hours after it is reported to the plenary session. If the impeachment motion against Acting President Choi is reported at the scheduled plenary session on the 27th, a special plenary session must be held for a vote between the 28th and 30th.
In other words, if the impeachment of Prime Minister Han is rejected or dismissed and he returns, the situation may change, making it uncertain whether an additional plenary session can be convened, especially with the possibility of the impeachment ruling against President Yoon set for the 28th.
Nonetheless, the Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Sang-ho, who has the authority to convene the plenary session, is negative about moving ahead with the impeachment of Acting President Choi at this time. A Democratic Party official noted, "Given the timing, (the impeachment of Choi) may create a burden for the constitutional court judges, potentially delaying the presidential impeachment case further." Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum pointed out on Facebook that proposing the impeachment motion against Choi is "an imprudent decision," emphasizing that impeaching ministers should not be used as a means of venting frustration.
Nevertheless, the Democratic Party is in the position of pushing for Choi's impeachment to ensure that he cannot serve as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance.
In fact, it has been reported that there was considerable discussion internally until the last moment over whether to impeach Choi after the results of Prime Minister Han's impeachment. Democratic Party spokesperson Noh Jong-myeon met with reporters on the 21st and explained that, after much deliberation, they decided to proceed with Choi's impeachment, emphasizing that the issues of Prime Minister Han's dismissal and Choi's impeachment are separate matters. Party member Kim Yong-min remarked, "Choi's actions sufficiently constitute grounds for impeachment, and the likelihood of Prime Minister Han's impeachment being accepted is quite high."