Two Non-Governmental Parties, Filing of Impeachment against President Roh

On March 4, the Grand National Party (GNP) and the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) announced their policy to file for impeachment action against President Roh Moo-hyun, following the state-run National Elections Commission’s decision on Roh’s alleged involvement in election campaigning. This caused current tense relations between the government party and non-governmental parties.

Holding several standing committee meetings and regular committee meetings, GNP decided its basic policy towards impeachment according to the confirmation of Roh’s election law violation and entrusted Hong Sa-duk, the minority leader of the National Assembly, with full power.

“The current economy went to the wall since Roh was devoting himself to the election with all types of violations and elusions,” Hong said during the press conference on March 4. “Having the consultation with an advisory committee, we already prepared the necessary condition for impeachment. However, the political decision, including cooperation with MDP, still remains.”

The GNP will collect opinions within the party about impeachment against Roh at the emergency general meeting on March 5.

The MDP discussed Roh’s apology to the public about his violation of the election law and promised the prevention of recurrence in the standing committee meeting in the morning and discussed in the emergency committee meeting whether or not to suggest an impeachment against Roh.

“When we consider the excessive irrationality of Roh’s surrounding, it is the stage which we can consider the impeachment,” Kim Young-hwan, MDP spokesperson, said. “We’ll decide if we will drive forward with impeachment, with deliberation about Roh’s apology, emotion of the public, and so on.”

Three non-governmental parties will decide their policy regarding the impeachment against Roh after contacting the leader of the National Assembly. A bill of impeachment against the president will pass if more than two-thirds of congressmen approve it.

On the other hand, Cheong Wa Dae held an emergency meeting of the chief secretary and the aide under the superintendence of Kim Woo-sik, a presidential secretary section chief. It announced, “Even though we respect the final decision of the state-run National Elections Commission, we were embarrassed with this unreasonable decision.”

“There are no precedence like this in any other developed democratic society, which judged the president’s political opinion expression to be an intervention in the election,” Lee Byung-wan, a presidential public relations section chief, said. “The election law, which was made during the period of the illegal presidential election, should be changed reasonably.”

“The decision of the state-run National Elections Commission is a kind of forced decision by three non-governmental parties rather than its own decision,” said Chung Dong-young, a chairman of the Uri Party. “We do not see the president’s free expression of political opinion as an intervention in the election.”

“The decision of the state-run National Elections Commission was for our constitutional obligation for legal election,” Regarding Cheong Wa Dae’s announcement that it is embarrassed by the unreasonable decision of the state-run National Elections Commission, Lee Ki-sun, a public relations officer of the state-run National Elections Commission, said, “Considering it was the decision of the independent constitutional institute, we want Cheong Wa Dae to accept it.”

“The president should be a model who will encourage political neutrality to public service personnel with the help of the administration,” Lee added. “We decided so, considering the enormous harmful effect on public service personnel.”