“Quorum for Acting President’s Impeachment is 151 Seats”
“Democratic Party Warns of ‘Re-proposing Han’s Impeachment…’ Plans for Future Measures”
[Herald Economy = Kang Moon-gyu Reporter] On the 25th, Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, stated, “The Democratic Party is threatening to re-propose an impeachment motion against Acting President Han Duck-soo if he does not appoint Constitution Court Justice Ma Eun-hyuk.” He claimed they intend to exploit the Constitutional Court’s decision, which considers 151 seats — rather than the 200 seats noted in the Constitutional Court Act’s commentary — as the quorum for approving an impeachment motion against an acting president.
On Facebook that day, Representative Yoon expressed, “The Constitutional Court has opened the ‘impeachment hell gate’ for all acting presidents,” adding the comment.
He further criticized, “This means the Constitutional Court has invited controversy by violating what is stated in its commentary.”
Yoon pointed out, “In the future, if a major opposition party holding more than half the seats in the National Assembly decides to impeach an acting president, there’s no way to stop them. If so inclined, the Democratic Party could unilaterally propose impeachment motions against all cabinet members and suspend their duties, effectively creating an anarchic state. In short, the ‘impeachment hell gate’ has been opened.”
He argued, “The Constitutional Court has practically destroyed the separation of powers in the Republic of Korea. The national interest will be severely damaged, and the people will suffer the consequences.”
Furthermore, he asserted, “The issue of the quorum for an acting president’s impeachment is directly linked to national stability. We cannot merely rely on the goodwill of a specific political party with more than half the seats in the National Assembly to refrain from initiating impeachment motions,” emphasizing the need for diverse measures, including legislation, to be prepared for the future, while urging the Constitutional Court to make correct judgments.