Democratic Party Vows Mass Impeachment Over Judicial Appointment Standoff
South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea warned that if the government does not immediately appoint Ma Eun-hyuk as the new Constitutional Court justice, 70 of its first-term lawmakers will oust top officials with a sweeping series of cabinet impeachments. The move, which includes the impeachment of Acting President Han Duck-soo for the second time, has drawn fierce backlash from the ruling People Power Party.
The governing party dismissed the opposition’s requests as a “parliamentary coup” and declared their intention to pursue legal action against Democratic Party chief Lee Jae-myung and political analyst Kim Ou-joon.
“The Democrats’ move toward impeachment is part of an insurrectionist scheme orchestrated by Kim Ou-joon and sanctioned by Lee Jae-myung,” stated People Power Party spokesperson Kweon Seong-dong at a press briefing held on March 29th. Kweon labeled the threat to remove the entire cabinet as “a serious violation of constitutional norms” and cautioned that attempts to incapacitate the executive branch could amount to treason. According to Kweon, the Democrats aim to influence judicial appointments due to postponements in the Constitutional Court’s decision regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol’s potential impeachment, with predictions suggesting his dismissal might not occur.
The Democrats’ freshman legislators, known as “The Mincho,” warned that if Ma Eun-hyuk isn’t named a court judge by March 30, they will push for another impeachment vote against Acting President Han. They vowed to initiate impeachment proceedings against any cabinet member taking over from Han who doesn’t manage to appoint Ma. Earlier that day, Kim Eo-joon stoked the fire on his YouTube platform, encouraging Democratic legislator No Jong-myeon to contemplate impeaching everyone standing against Ma Eun-hyuk’s nomination.
The People Power Party capitalized on the remark, viewing it as proof of covert coordination. In response, the Mincho leadership panel dismissed these claims as “complete falsehoods and fabrications,” stating they will pursue legal recourse. Furthermore, Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae declared that should Ma fail to be appointed by April 1, his party would “be forced to consider drastic measures.”
The Democratic Party has called upon the Constitutional Court to deliver an expedited decision regarding President Yoon’s impeachment. They have also insisted that the interim president promptly nominate Ma Eun-hyuk for appointment as a court judge. There are growing worries that the court might not reach a verdict before April 18, which coincides with the expiration of the terms held by Constitutional Court Justices Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mison, thereby exacerbating the complexity of the matter.
Lawmakers serving their first term with the People Power Party organized a press conference on March 30, asserting, “We must present the Democratic Party’s misuse of its legislative majority as justification for dissolution through review by the Constitutional Court.”