The adoption of a report on the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok passed the National Assembly's Judiciary and Legislation Committee on the 1st under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea.
Originally, a plenary session was planned to handle the supplementary budget on that day, but after the Supreme Court sent back the case regarding Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung for retrial with a guilty implication, the impeachment motion that was pending in the Judiciary and Legislation Committee was introduced and passed in less than 5 minutes.
The introduction of the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi was made abruptly that evening.
The Democratic Party of Korea held an emergency general meeting on that day after the Supreme Court's plenary committee issued a retrial verdict with a guilty implication regarding the election law violation case of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. During a brief recess in the afternoon, a leadership strategy meeting was held, and it is reported that they reached a consensus to push forward with the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi.
Regarding the sudden push for Deputy Prime Minister Choi's impeachment following the Supreme Court's ruling concerning candidate Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea maintains that it was essentially a pre-scheduled event.
Floor spokesperson Noh Jong-myeon met with reporters immediately after the Judiciary and Legislation Committee passed the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi and stated, “Although (the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi) has gone to the Judiciary and Legislation Committee, time will start again once the report adoption is completed in the committee.” He added, “The time of 24 hours after that is currently frozen, but having just been voted on, it has started to move again.”
Noh noted, “Therefore, the vote has to happen within this (time) frame,” and said, “National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik might say he will hold the plenary session in the morning tomorrow, but our party has several regional launch ceremonies scheduled, and our members will be scattered throughout the country. If a plenary session is held at that time, our party cannot accept that.”
Earlier, the Democratic Party of Korea had argued that the failure to appoint Constitutional Court Justice nominee Ma Eun-hyeok during Deputy Prime Minister Choi's acting presidency was a clear violation of the constitution, stating, “The impeachment motion should be adopted immediately without an investigation by the Judiciary and Legislation Committee.”
However, considering recent internal opposition, they had decided not to pursue the impeachment motion.
A Democratic Party of Korea official stated, “The impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi is structured in such a way that it must be voted on,” and explained, “Last time, we brought the impeachment motion to the plenary session, but it was referred back to the Judiciary and Legislation Committee because of a demand for a hearing. Once it passes in the committee, the time regarding the last plenary session will start to run again.”