2024-07-27 14:44:17
The second hearing was held again in a week
18 out of 24 witnesses for adoption did not show up
Jeong Cheong-rae: “I will hold Mrs. Kim and others accountable”
Opposition: “Mrs. Kim seriously suspected of state affairs interference”… Ruling party: “We will take legal action against those spreading false information”
![Yoon Impeachment Hearings End in Disarray… Ruling and Opposition Parties Only Fight Over Absence of Witnesses Yoon Impeachment Hearings End in Disarray… Ruling and Opposition Parties Only Fight Over Absence of Witnesses](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/07/26/126138013.13.jpg)
On the 26th, when the ‘President Yoon Seok-yeol impeachment hearing’ was held, the ruling and opposition party members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly clashed inside and outside the National Assembly. The photo above shows opposition party members, including the Democratic Party of Korea, holding a press conference near the presidential residence in Yongsan, Seoul, to protest the non-appearance of Ms. Kim Kun-hee as a witness. In response, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee members of the People Power Party held a counter-press conference at the National Assembly and criticized the opposition party’s protest visit to the presidential residence as a “political show for incitement.” Reporter Kim Dong-joo [email protected]·Newsis
“If this hearing is illegal, get out.” (Jeong Cheong-rae, Chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea)
“Okay. I’ll go out and come back to show that it’s illegal.” (People Power Party Rep. Song Seok-jun)
At the 2nd hearing on the impeachment petition against President Yoon Seok-yeol held at the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 26th, when Rep. Song responded to the loud voice of Chairman Jeong and actually left the conference room, laughter erupted between the ruling and opposition party Legislation and Judiciary Committee members.
Even in the second hearing held a week after the first hearing, there was only a repeated emotional war of words between the ruling and opposition parties over the illegality of the hearing, rather than new evidence or claims. The Democratic Party maintained its existing argument that “Ms. Kim Gun-hee, who received a luxury bag, is subject to the crime of mediation and bribery,” and the People Power Party repeatedly countered by saying, “Ms. Kim’s absence is justified. Stop the illegal hearing.”
Of the 24 people selected as witnesses for the hearing, 18 key witnesses, including Mrs. Kim, President Yoon’s mother-in-law Choi Eun-soon, Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok, and officials from the Blue House, did not appear, leading to criticism that it was “another pointless and chaotic hearing.”
● “The public is watching the hearing, which is like a comedy”
The ruling and opposition parties have been engaged in a heated exchange of words since the beginning of the hearing, regarding the absence of witnesses and the illegality of the hearing. Chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee Jeong said, “We will definitely hold the 13 witnesses (including Ms. Kim and Chief of Staff to the President Jeong Jin-seok) who were absent without permission accountable, including through indictments,” and “We will actively pursue a bill to re-admit them as witnesses in the legislative hearing on the ‘Kim Gun-hee Special Prosecutor Act.’” In response, People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom, floor leader of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, defended them, saying, “The witnesses legitimately did not appear to protest the unfairness of the hearing that was held illegally.”
On this day, Pastor Choi Jae-young, who secretly filmed and exposed himself giving a luxury bag to Ms. Kim, appeared as a witness at the hearing. He claimed that his secret camera filming was “undercover reporting” and that “Ms. Kim coordinated the appointment of high-ranking officials with People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon.” Pastor Choi claimed, “Ms. Kim received a phone call in front of me, and she said, ‘Appoint her as a member of the Financial Services Commission,’ and hung up the phone,” and “When Representative Han was the Minister of Justice, she concurrently served as the Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, so I understand that she coordinated the final appointment of high-ranking officials (such as vice ministers) with Ms. Kim. I have also received such a tip-off.”
In response, the People Power Party immediately issued a statement refuting the claims, saying, “Representative Han has never discussed any personnel issues with Ms. Kim,” and warned, “We will take legal action against those spreading false information.” The Democratic Party said, “If Pastor Choi’s testimony is true, then this is a serious corruption of state affairs,” and urged, “The Office of the President must responsibly explain.”
Pastor Choi also made controversial remarks regarding President Yoon and Mrs. Kim. He claimed, “It is almost impeachment-worthy that President Yoon, the commander-in-chief of the military, is drunk.” He also said, “Mrs. Kim didn’t sleep and kept exchanging text messages even at 3 or 4 in the morning,” in response to Democratic Party lawmaker Park Jie-won’s question, “It would not be easy for someone who shares a bed with the president to talk on the phone or use KakaoTalk with other men.” In response, Chairman of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee Jeong said, “The public is shocked by the content of the messages exchanged by the first lady at night, as well as the number of times. What was President Yoon doing next to her?” When the ruling party lawmakers protested and left the room, Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party criticized, “Please lead the Legislative and Judiciary Committee with more dignity. The public is watching the witnesses sneer and mock each other during this comical hearing.”
● Opposition Party Visits Yongsan… Ruling Party “Political Show for Incitement”
The opposition party’s lawmakers suspended the hearing that afternoon and held a press conference near the presidential residence in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, urging Ms. Kim to attend the hearing. When security personnel, including police, blocked access to the presidential residence, opposition party members protested and clashed. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min criticized, “The fact that so many people are suffering in the scorching sun because of one person (Ms. Kim) is the true face of the current administration.”
Ruling party lawmakers held a counter-press conference at the National Assembly and criticized them, saying, “Stop this political show for the purpose of inciting agitation,” and “When the plan to publicly humiliate Mrs. Kim and her daughter and hold a North Korean-style people’s trial fell through, they rushed to Yongsan as if they had been waiting for it.”
Reporter Ahn Gyu-young [email protected]
Reporter Kim Jun-il [email protected]
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2024-07-27 14:44:17