South Korea’s Constitutional Court on the 4th passed the impeachment case of Yoon Sook-yeon, Yoon Sook-yeon was immediately removed from office. Yonhap News Agency 6, said the South Korean political arena after 4 months of turmoil gradually stabilized, ahead of schedule into the“Election mode.”. Under South Korea’s constitution, a deposed president must hold a presidential election within 60 days, meaning polls must be completed by June 3 at the latest. With the approaching of the election schedule, the two mainstream political parties of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party and the ruling party, the National Power Party, have fully entered the preparations for the election campaign. Democratic Party, the current leader Lee jae-ming or will formally resign on the 9th, dedicated to the presidential election. He is seen as the front-runner in the election. On the other hand, many people from the national forces party expressed their intention to participate in the election. The Financial Times on the 6th quoted experts as saying that Yoon’s declaration of martial law and its consequences have exposed disturbing weaknesses in South Korean politics, “Just because Korean democracy has survived doesn’t mean it’s healthy. The country’s severe polarization will continue to worsen.”.
Seoul, South Korea, April 5, some people braved the rain in the Guanghuamen Rally to celebrate the removal of president Yoon Suk-yueh, and called for further accountability. (AFP)
And 64.4 percent said the verdict was correct
Yoon became only the second president in the country’s constitutional history to be ousted after Park Geun-hye. Protesters and supporters of Yoon Seok-yueh rallied in central Seoul Monday after the verdict was announced. People opposed to Yin Xiyue welcomed the ruling, but some Yin Xiyue supporters vented their discontent through violence. Thousands of Yoon’s supporters braved the rain to protest in Seoul on Sunday, chanting: “Impeachment is invalid!”“Cancel early elections!” AFP said, yin has won the support of religious extremists and right-wing video bloggers, who experts say use false information to win over supporters.
Yin Xiyue issued a statement on the 6th, after his impeachment continued to support and express gratitude to the people in support of their own, saying“I am very sorry and sad.”. He said the struggle to defend freedom and national sovereignty will be remembered as a great chapter in South Korea’s history. “The younger generation is the future of our country, and as long as we have confidence and courage, the future of our country remains bright.”
Yonhap said it was the second time Yoon had thanked supporters after his dismissal. After his dismissal on the 4th, he spoke out to his supporters and expressed deep regret and regret for his failure to meet the expectations of the people. But Ms Yin has yet to show that she accepts the court’s ruling. There is speculation that Yoon’s move could be an attempt to further consolidate support as the next presidential election approaches. Yoon is also expected to move this week from his presidential residence in the Yongsan District of Seoul to his private residence in Seocho District, the capital.
South Korean people on the Yoon Seok-yeon impeachment verdict also split. South Korea’s“Daily economy” reported on the 6th that the results of a public opinion poll conducted by“Daily Economy” and MBN television on the 4th and 5th on the verdict of the presidential impeachment case showed that, while 64.4 percent said the verdict was correct, 32.1 percent said it was wrong and 3.5 percent answered“Unclear.”. In particular, the verdict was widely divided among supporters of political parties. Among supporters of the opposition Democratic Party, 97.9 percent said the Constitutional Court ruling was correct, while 79 percent of supporters of the ruling National Strength Party said it was wrong. Among the nonpartisan group, 70.1 percent gave a favorable rating and 23.7 percent gave a negative one.
According to the Financial Times, Yin Xiyue still faces charges of criminal insurrection related to martial law after being removed from office, and can be sentenced to life imprisonment or even the death penalty, his wife, Kim Kin-hee, has been the target of an opposition investigation into a series of corruption allegations. Both men deny any wrongdoing. In this context, yin xiyue is likely to“Continue to do his utmost to influence politics and the next election,” analysts said.
There may be a general election in June
Yoon took office as South Korea’s president in May 2022 for a five-year term. Because he was deposed, South Korea will call an early election. According to Yonhap news agency, interested ministers and local government chiefs have until May 4 to announce their intentions, and all parties should put forward a single candidate before then. With time running out, the parties are expected to settle on a presidential candidate by the end of April.
Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yin in the 2022 election, is considered the frontrunner. Kim Doo-kwan, a former member of Parliament and former Governor of South Gyeongsang Province who is not a member of the Lee jae-ming faction of the Democratic Party of China (DPJ) , and Kim kyung-soo, a former member of Parliament, also intend to announce their candidacy in succession. On the national strength party side, the candidates are relatively scattered. Whether the current Minister of Employment and labor, Kim Moon-soo, will run in the election has attracted much attention, mayor Hong Jun-pyo of Taegu, mayor Oh Se-hoon of Seoul, former party leader Han Dong-hoon and Congressman Ahn Cheol-soo are expected to join the campaign this week.
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duk-soo Jong-eun said the government would strictly follow constitutional procedures and set a date for the election as early as July 8, the Asia daily reported Wednesday. June 3 is widely predicted by politicians to be the most likely election day. Various polls show that there are still about 30% of voters have not yet decided who to support, how to win these“Swing vote” to become an urgent strategic issue for both parties.
In terms of party support, the“Daily economy” poll showed the highest Democratic Party, 40.7% , followed by the national strength party, 32.4% , 3.9% Motherland Reform Party. The independent politician who answered“No party supported” and“Unclear” accounted for 17.6 percent.
The Speaker of Parliament proposed an amendment to the constitution
Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea Yu won-sik held an emergency press conference in Parliament on the 6th, proposing a simultaneous referendum on constitutional revision on the day of the upcoming presidential election.
Yu said almost all the major presidential candidates in previous elections had promised to push ahead with constitutional amendments, but only once did they actually do so. “After the unconstitutional and illegal martial law and [ Yin’s ] impeachment, the public consensus on the urgency of changing the constitution is stronger than ever before,” he said, now is the perfect time to push for constitutional change.
According to South Korea’s constitution, the South Korean president for 5 years, can not be re-elected. Regarding this revision constitution’s main direction, Yu Yuanzhi indicated that will adjust the president term of office for 4 years, and may be re-elected, at present obtains the quite high consensus. But it won’t be easy. Regarding Yu Yuanzhi’s statement, the ruling National Power Party said that it would participate in the special committee for Constitutional Revision. However, some members of the Democratic Party that should first end civil unrest, the constitutional amendment of a negative attitude.
In recent years, presidential candidates from all Political Lianhe Zaobao have supported constitutional changes, including giving the president two four-year terms, but new leaders tend to be more conservative, little concrete action has been taken.