South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik declared on Sunday that the joint exercise of presidential power by the Prime Minister and the ruling party would be a “blatant violation of the Constitution.”
During a press conference at the National Assembly, Woo criticized the joint statement issued earlier by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon. The statement affirmed that President Yoon Suk-yeol would not be involved in the country’s internal and foreign affairs before he steps down.
Woo accused the prime minister and ruling party leader of misleading the public by making an unconstitutional act appear legitimate, calling the move “arrogant.”
“The transfer of presidential power comes from the people, and such a process should abide by the Constitution and the principle of popular sovereignty,” Woo stated, emphasizing that “Impeachment is the only legal procedure to suspend the president from carrying out his duties.”
The parliament speaker proposed talks between the ruling party and the main opposition to discuss the immediate suspension of Yoon’s duties and to resolve the political turmoil following Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law on Tuesday.
In a further development on Sunday, President Yoon accepted the resignation of Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min.
“I believe stepping down is necessary to prevent further disruptions and confusion in governance,” Lee said in a statement.
Lee’s resignation came after the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea filed an impeachment motion on Saturday, accusing him of complicity in the declaration of martial law and mobilizing police to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.
Reference(s):
S. Korean parliament speaker: Joint statement is unconstitutional
cgtn.com
