"Han Duck-soo, No Impeachment"…Lee Jae-myung Emphasizes 'National Stability and Livelihood Recovery'

Lee Jae-myung's First Press Conference After Impeachment

Decision Not to Impeach Acting President Han Duck-soo

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced that they have decided not to impeach Acting President Han Duck-soo. Lee expressed his intention to focus on minimizing governmental confusion and prioritizing the stability of people's livelihoods. To this end, he proposed the formation of a national governance council involving both the National Assembly and the government.

On the morning of the 15th, Lee held a press conference stating, "The normalization of the Republic of Korea is urgent. The Democratic Party will actively cooperate with all parties to stabilize the government and restore international trust," and proposed "the formation of a bipartisan cooperation body for national stabilization, involving both the National Assembly and the government."

Regarding the economic situation, he said, "The government's proactive and dynamic role is needed more than ever," and urged, "Financial and foreign exchange management authorities should operate a 24-hour monitoring system without any gaps."

He continued, "The Democratic Party, as the leading party in the National Assembly, will spare no effort in bipartisan cooperation to alleviate economic instability, including market stabilization and investment protection measures."

On the diplomatic void, he emphasized, "Multifaceted efforts are needed to restore dialogue and cooperation with the international community that have been suspended," and assured that "the South Korea-U.S. alliance will remain firm and will be further expanded and developed."

He urged the Constitutional Court to expedite the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol, stating, "I hope the procedure for President Yoon's removal will be swiftly carried out," and emphasized, "That is the only way to minimize national confusion and the suffering of the people."

He also stressed the need for clear investigation and accountability from the investigative authorities, saying, "Investigative agencies should uncover the truth with swift and strict investigations." He added, "A prompt start of a special investigation is necessary for truth-finding, and institutions and participants involved in the rebellion should actively cooperate with the investigation."

The decision was made not to impeach Acting President Han. Lee explained, "Within the party, there are indeed many arguments that Acting President Han should be impeached for his responsibility in the recent rebellion or the existing governmental disorder," but added, "Since the Prime Minister has already been confirmed as acting, and too many impeachments might cause some confusion in governance, we decided not to proceed with the impeachment process for now."

Kim Dae-young, Hankyung.com reporter kdy@hankyung.com