The impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok was reported to the National Assembly plenary session on 2nd.
Earlier, the five opposition parties proposed an impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi, who had been serving as acting president, on 21st of last month.
The decision by the Constitutional Court cited the failure to appoint constitutional judge nominee Ma Eun-hyeok, recommended by the National Assembly, as an infringement of the National Assembly's authority. Additionally, reasons for impeachment were presented, including ▲ Acts related to the 12·3 insurrection ▲ Refusal to appoint Supreme Court Justice Ma Yong-joo ▲ Failure to follow the appointment procedure for a special counsel for insurrection.
It is uncertain whether the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi will actually come to a vote. The required quorum for the impeachment motion to pass is a majority of the National Assembly members, which is 151, and the Democratic Party, which holds 170 seats, can pass it alone.
However, the opposition plans to watch the outcome of the impeachment trial ruling against President Yoon Suk-yeol on 4th and decide whether to hold a vote on the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi at the plenary session. Once the impeachment motion is reported, it must be voted on within 72 hours after 24 hours from the report according to the National Assembly Act. Therefore, a plenary session must be scheduled for the April temporary National Assembly, starting on the 4th. If a plenary session for the vote is not scheduled within 72 hours after 24 hours from the reporting, the impeachment motion is automatically discarded.
Democratic Party Spokesperson Hwang Jeong-a said during a meeting with reporters that, "We may need to respond urgently around the time of the (Yoon's impeachment trial) ruling, so we are keeping the possibility of holding a plenary session on the 4th open."
The People Power Party strongly protested. Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, urged the withdrawal of the impeachment motion at a general meeting of lawmakers held before the plenary session, saying, "Deputy Prime Minister Choi is no longer acting president, and an impeachment ruling against the president will be announced in two days. Yet the Democratic Party is trying to impeach Deputy Prime Minister Choi for the thirtieth time, which is nothing but a fruitless act of revenge and an abuse of power by the majority party."