Opposition pushes for 30th impeachment

The Democratic Party of Korea and four other opposition parties submitted an impeachment motion against Choi Sang-mok, the acting president and concurrently Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. Despite internal concerns about a wave of impeachments, this marks the 30th impeachment attempt since the Yoon Suk Yeol administration began. With the Constitutional Court scheduled to rule on Monday on the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, and speculation growing that a possible impeachment of President Yoon may follow the Wednesday appellate court ruling on Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung’s violation of the Public Official Election Act, the Democratic Party of Korea appears to be ramping up its aggressive campaign.

The five opposition parties—Democratic Party of Korea, Cho Kuk Innovation Party, Progressive Party, Basic Income Party, and Social Democratic Party—submitted the impeachment motion to the National Assembly, citing Choi's alleged involvement in the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, refusal to appoint Constitutional Court nominee Ma Eun-hyuk, and rejection of a request to recommend candidates for a permanent special prosecutor.

“The acting president is blatantly undermining the national legal order. It seems he is doing this to aid a rebellious force," Lee Jae-myung sharply criticized Choi. "The more I look into it, the more I suspect he’s playing a key role in this rebellion.” Lee argued that Choi’s refusal to appoint nominee Ma amounts to aiding a rebellion by disrupting constitutional order. Although the Constitutional Court ruled on Feb. 27 that Choi’s non-appointment of Ma infringed on the National Assembly’s authority, it dismissed the Assembly’s demand for an immediate appointment, citing a lack of legal grounds.

Earlier in the day, the Democratic Party of Korea’s legal committee filed a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) accusing Choi of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery and coercion) in relation to the 2015 state corruption scandal. Park Kyun-taek, head of the party's legal committee, claimed Choi had actively participated in criminal acts related to the establishment of the Mir Foundation while serving as presidential secretary for economic and financial affairs during the Park Geun-hye–Choi Soon-sil scandal. At the time, the special prosecutor concluded that there was no basis for charging Choi and chose not to indict him.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) strongly denounced the move, calling it an act of "terrorism against the state." “This is not just about threatening Choi personally—it's tantamount to cutting the country apart,” Floor Leader Kweon Seong-dong said. "The move was emotional retaliation that has lost its purpose.” The PPP countered by filing a complaint accusing Lee Jae-myung and legal committee head Park Kyun-taek of coercion.


Oh-Hyuk Kwon hyuk@donga.com