(LEAD) DP renews push to impeach interior minister over Itaewon tragedy

All News 13:58 January 04, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES with details, photo)
By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- The floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday threatened to impeach the interior minister over the Itaewon crowd crush should the minister continue to refuse to voluntarily resign.

The DP has called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to fire Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, railroading a dismissal motion against Lee in December to hold him responsible for the Oct. 29 tragedy that has killed 159 people.

The presidential office said the motion, which is not legally binding, should be considered after probes into the Itaewon crowd crush are completed.

"It would be most desirable for him to voluntarily step down after the police and parliamentary probes are over, but if that does not happen, the next stage would inevitably be impeachment," DP floor leader Park Hong-keun said in a CBS radio interview.

Main opposition Democratic Party floor leader Park Hong-keun speaks at a party response meeting at the National Assembly on Jan. 3, 2023. (Yonhap)

An impeachment requires more concrete proof that the official in question has violated the Constitution or law in serving his or her role. Once it is passed by parliament, the case is referred to the Constitutional Court for the final decision.

DP leader Lee Jae-myung also urged Yoon to "immediately fire" the interior minister.

The DP's threat of impeachment came a day after Yoon ruled out the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle.

Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min speaks during a parliamentary probe at the government complex in Seoul on Dec. 23, 2022, into the Oct. 29 crowd crush, which killed 159 people in the capital's Itaewon district. (Yonhap)

Park also said the DP will push for extending the parliamentary probe into the tragedy by at least 10 days even without the consent of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

Park, meanwhile, urged the ruling party to accept the DP's proposal on convening an extraordinary session of the National Assembly in January to handle pending issues.

The PPP rejected the request as it believes the move is aimed at guarding opposition leader Lee Jae-myung from arrest as part of corruption investigations.

Lawmakers are immune from arrest while parliament is in session. Parliamentary consent is necessary to arrest lawmakers when the National Assembly is in session.