1 week Ago By [email protected](KoreaTimes)
Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) speaks during the party's meeting to elect a new floor leader at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap PPP likely to remain pro-Yoon even after impeachment By Lee Hae-rin The ruling People Power Party (PPP) elected Rep.
Kweon Seong-dong, a key confidant of President Yoon Suk Yeol, as its new floor leader on Thursday, despite growing calls nationwide for Yoon’s impeachment. The five-term lawmaker will replace Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, whom other lawmakers allege obstructed a parliamentary vote on a motion to lift the martial law decree on Dec.
3 by calling PPP lawmakers to the party’s headquarters in Yeouido instead of the National Assembly. Choo stepped down from his post on Saturday, shortly after the National Assembly scrapped a motion to impeach Yoon for his short-lived attempt to impose martial law on the Korean people. Kweon received 72 out of 106 votes from the 108-member party, while his rival, Rep.
Kim Tae-ho, a four-term lawmaker who is closer to the ruling party chief Han Dong-hoon, garnered just 34 votes. "I am well aware that the ruling party's floor leader position is a poisoned holy grail," Kweon said, "I have no desire (for the position) as someone who has already served as a floor leader. But I didn't want to be cowardly before the party’s request not to turn a blind eye to its crisis as a senior member.
" He admitted he has a close relationship with the president. "Yes, that's right. I'm pro-Yoon," he said.
"I worked harder than anyone else for a regime change, but I didn't participate in the transition team and didn't even join the Cabinet," he said. "I'm proud that I criticized the president the most behind the scenes." He also promised to cooperate with the PPP chief.
"Division is worse than impeachment," Kweon said. "Since Han Dong-hoon secured democratic legitimacy after being elected with 63 percent of the party's support, I will fully consult with him on major pending issues." Regarding the president's statement released earlier that day, Kweon said, "I saw it as his letter of explanation as to why he had to declare emergency martial law.
" When asked whether he is in favor of impeachment regarding the party's stance, he clearly said, "Currently, the party line is the rejection of impeachment. Since changing this requires the consent of more than two-thirds of lawmakers, we will hold a general meeting of lawmakers to gather consensus on whether to change or maintain the party line on that part." However, his remarks go against the ruling party chief’s earlier statement, which supported Yoon’s impeachment.
The ruling People Power Party chief Han Dong-hoon speaks in favor of the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol during a meeting to elect the party's new floor leader at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap "The president's duties must be swiftly straightened out and suspended through the impeachment process," Han told reporters at the National Assembly. "Our party must support impeachment as the party line.
" Han said it has become "more clear" that Yoon is unable to carry out his duties as president and voiced support for his impeachment, calling on lawmakers to vote on the next impeachment motion based on their own conviction. However, based on the pro-Yoon lawmaker’s winning of the position, experts believe the ruling party will likely maintain its party line to vote against Yoon’s impeachment this Saturday. “Pro-Yoon lawmakers (who voted for Kweon) will likely continue to support Yoon and maintain their anti-impeachment stance,” politics analyst Rhee Jong-hoon said, explaining that Yoon is “building a shield” with the PPP lawmakers that support him amid the ongoing political turmoil.
While Han is likely to resign as party chief on Saturday to take responsibility for the party’s political distraction after the second impeachment motion on Yoon is passed, Rhee expressed skepticism on the ruling party’s prospect of receiving public support. “It (the party’s future) can't be successful under the current circumstances. Considering the anger of the public, they need to quickly decide on a pro-impeachment stance for the motion, but they are not even able to do that.
Eventually, the party will take a path to collapse with the president,” he said..
