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| Interior Minister Lee Sang-min gazes into space during an interpellation session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has introduced a bill to impeach the minister over the Itaewon tragedy. Newsis |
Ruling party accuses DPK of political maneuvering to protect its embattled leader
By Jung Min-ho
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is seeking to impeach Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, blaming him for having failed to protect the 159 innocent lives lost in a crowd crush last Halloween in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul.
National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo told a plenary meeting Monday that an impeachment motion signed by its 176 members, including DPK floor leader Park Hong-keun, has been submitted.
After a general meeting of DPK lawmakers, Park said the party plans to put the bill to a vote at the Assembly on Wednesday.
The move comes two months after the DPK-controlled Assembly passed a motion calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol to sack Lee over his "incompetence," which it claimed let the Oct. 29 tragedy happen. The legally-unbinding demand has remained unheeded.
"No one in the government has resigned over the disaster that killed 159 innocent people," Rep. Park said. "The government and the ruling party appear to think that Minister Lee has extra-territorial, inviolable rights … It's time to put an end to this issue."
Asked how many lawmakers agreed on the impeachment decision, he said an overwhelming majority approved it without providing details. He also said it is the DPK's right and duty to hold the minister accountable for what happened, vowing to take the issue all the way to the Constitutional Court.
The impeachment motion requires the consent of half of Assembly members to be passed. Given that the DPK has 169 seats (of the total 300) ― along with independent lawmakers and others from the minor liberal Justice Party and Basic Income Party expected to join ― it will likely be approved. Once the motion reaches that phase, the minister is automatically suspended from work.
Yet real challenges lie ahead. The Constitution Court will then review whether Lee "violated the Constitution or the law" in exercising his powers regarding the tragedy before ruling on his fate. Experts say the chances are slim.
More than 20 people, including former Yongsan Police Station chief Lee Im-jae, have so far been indicted on their alleged actions when carrying out their roles in the disaster as a result of the National Police Agency's investigation into the case. But none of the officials in the ministry, which is responsible for establishing, supervising and adjusting policies related to safety and disaster management, have faced any legal consequences.
Asked how he would evaluate his performance by Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the DPK at the Assembly's interpellation session the same day, Lee said it was still premature to judge. For questions such as how he felt about the impeachment motion and what he "would do at home" if, as expected, he will be suspended from work in two days, he refused to provide responses.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has accused the DPK of making political noise as part of its efforts to protect its embattled leader, Lee Jae-myung, who is facing multiple corruption charges.
"The only purpose of the impeachment bill, which is outright nonsensical, is to offer a shield for its leader, Lee Jae-myung," Rep. Chung Jin-suk, the PPP's interim leader, wrote in a statement. "What law did Minister Lee violate? It won't meet the requirements for impeachment … The passing of the bill would make politics a farce."
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