Supreme Court's 'Remand' Ruling Leads to Immediate Submission… 170 Members of the National Assembly Participate

The Democratic Party of Korea has sharply called for the impeachment of Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung.

On the 1st, all 170 members of the Democratic Party participated in signing the impeachment motion, which was automatically reported during the plenary session held at 9 PM that day.

The submission of this impeachment motion comes right after the Supreme Court remanded the case concerning the violation of the Public Official Election Act against Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung with a guilty implication, intensifying the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties. The central claim made by the Democratic Party is that Prosecutor General Shim has neglected legal and institutional responsibilities throughout the ongoing investigation into an alleged 'rebellion', including this case.

In the impeachment motion, the Democratic Party stated that Prosecutor General Shim "effectively neglected to investigate those involved in the unconstitutional attempts at emergency martial law by former President Yoon Suk-yeol and incitement to rebellion, and instead abused prosecutorial authority to direct the release of the instigator of rebellion."

"Obstruction of Investigation and Evasion of Oversight"… Democratic Party Criticizes Prosecutor General Shim

The Democratic Party particularly pointed out that Prosecutor General Shim intentionally delayed or abandoned the request for the extension of the suspect's detention prior to the court's decision to cancel the detention and subsequently showed a passive attitude toward the rebellion investigation by renouncing immediate appeal. The impeachment motion explicitly stated that "it is serious that there was undue interference in the investigation of those involved in the rebellion or that there was a deliberate evasion of direction and supervision."

During the plenary session, the proposal to refer the impeachment motion to the Legislative and Judiciary Committee passed with 180 votes in favor and 1 against out of 181 present. The People Power Party boycotted the vote, with party officials strongly opposing it, labeling it as a "destruction of constitutional order for political retaliation."

The Democratic Party previously expressed its intention to pursue a thorough investigation procedure by submitting the impeachment motion to the plenary session and then referring it to the Legislative and Judiciary Committee. According to the National Assembly Act, the impeachment motion can be voted on within 72 hours after being reported to the plenary session or referred to a standing committee for review after 24 hours.

Confrontation Between the Ruling and Opposition Parties Expected… Discussion of Dismissal Motion for Prosecutor General Shim

There are speculations among political circles that the submission of this impeachment motion will not merely serve as a political message but could lead to a constitutional dispute and a judgment by the Constitutional Court in the future. In particular, within certain factions of the Democratic Party, there are calls for a dismissal motion, stating that "Prosecutor General Shim has undermined the constitutional order as the head of the prosecution and is no longer fit to hold public office."

As the impeachment motion against Prosecutor General Shim comes under serious discussion in the National Assembly, the clash between the prosecution and the ruling and opposition parties is expected to significantly impact candidate Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign as well as the political landscape ahead of next year's general elections.

Image source: Shim Woo-jung Prosecutor General / News1, News1