The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    BTS stars shine brighter as solo artists

  • 3

    N. Korea holds politburo meeting to discuss Kim-Putin summit: KCNA

  • 5

    30 people purchased 8,000 homes: data

  • 7

    Rowoon leaves SF9 to focus on acting career

  • 9

    Korea urged to adopt China exit strategy amid hegemonic war

  • 11

    Netflix's 'Song of the Bandits' blends western action with Korean period series

  • 13

    Foreign ministry asks Japan to investigate case of Korean poisoned with bleach in Tokyo

  • 15

    BTS defies K-pop's 'seven-year curse'

  • 17

    National Assembly passes motion to arrest DPK chief

  • 19

    Merck emphasizes digitalization in semiconductor market

  • 2

    '30 Days' promises laughter, unlikely romance

  • 4

    North Korean escapees tell how nuclear tests ruined their health, hometown

  • 6

    ITZY's Lia takes break to put mental health first

  • 8

    USFK soldier, 2 women arrested for drug trafficking

  • 10

    Seventeen to drop 11th EP next month

  • 12

    INTERVIEWPutin uses summit with NK leader to stop Seoul from helping Ukraine: expert

  • 14

    Lamborghini driver suspect sent to prosecutors over parking dispute in Gangnam

  • 16

    Unfreezing of funds not likely to restore Korea-Iran ties

  • 18

    Seoul plans to build Jamsil Sports MICE Complex

  • 20

    Invasion of 'smart' albums

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Fri, September 22, 2023 | 20:08
Politics
Korea's main opposition party tables motion to dismiss FM
Posted : 2022-09-27 17:01
Updated : 2022-09-28 07:25
Nam Hyun-woo
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea senior deputy floor leader Rep. Wi Seong-gon, center, holds a motion requesting President Yoon Suk-yeol impeach Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, after the party unanimously decided to table the motion at the National Assembly, Tuesday. / Yonhap
Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea senior deputy floor leader Rep. Wi Seong-gon, center, holds a motion requesting President Yoon Suk-yeol impeach Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, after the party unanimously decided to table the motion at the National Assembly, Tuesday. / Yonhap

Non-binding request comes as pressure on Yoon

By Nam Hyun-woo

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea senior deputy floor leader Rep. Wi Seong-gon, center, holds a motion requesting President Yoon Suk-yeol impeach Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, after the party unanimously decided to table the motion at the National Assembly, Tuesday. / Yonhap
Foreign Minister Park Jin / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-keun
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) tabled a motion on Tuesday requesting President Yoon Suk-yeol to impeach Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin over apparent diplomatic gaffes and setbacks during Yoon's overseas trip last week.

Since the motion is a non-binding request which Yoon can dismiss, chances are slim for the foreign minister to leave his office in disgrace this time. However, the DPK, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, is seeking to pass the bill to double its pressure on the presidential office and the ruling bloc.

During a general meeting of its lawmakers, the DPK decided to table the motion requesting Minister Park's impeachment.

"We decided to table the motion in the name of all 169 DPK lawmakers," DPK senior deputy floor leader Rep. Wi Seong-gon said. "It was a unanimous decision, and it will be passed in a plenary session of the Assembly on Thursday."

Since the DPK holds a majority of the 300-seat Assembly, the party can table and approve bills unilaterally.

The move came after Yoon's trip to the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada last week, was mired in a string of controversies. During the trip, he failed to attend late Queen Elizabeth II's lying-in-state in London and had only a 48-second chat with U.S. President Joe Biden instead of a formal summit as had been announced by the presidential office.

Yoon also took flak for his meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as Tokyo had been denying Seoul's announcement that the two governments' agreement to hold a summit. Yoon finally met with Kishida for what the Japanese government described as an "informal" talk.

Further controversy was stirred as Yoon was caught on a hot mic in what could be heard as a profanity-laden denouncement of the U.S. Congress at a fundraising event in New York. Amid the controversy, Yoon told reporters, Monday, that such "false reports" were "undermining the alliance" with the U.S.

Citing these events, the DPK has been condemning the trip as "a diplomatic disaster" urging the president to replace his foreign affairs team, including the minister.

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea senior deputy floor leader Rep. Wi Seong-gon, center, holds a motion requesting President Yoon Suk-yeol impeach Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, after the party unanimously decided to table the motion at the National Assembly, Tuesday. / Yonhap
President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex in Sejong, Tuesday. Yonhap
Article 63 of the Constitution states that the National Assembly may pass "a recommendation" requesting the president to remove the prime minister or Cabinet members. However, this is a non-binding motion, and there have been cases in which a president has dismissed such a motion.

So far, there have been six cases in which the National Assembly has passed a motion on impeaching a minister. The most recent case was in September 2016, when then-President Park Geun-hye dismissed a motion on removing then Agriculture Minister Kim Jae-soo from office.

Other than Kim's case, however, five other ministers had to leave their offices after the motions on their resignation passed in the Assembly. Given these precedents, the DPK expects that the motion on Park will weigh heavily on the presidential office and the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

"It is about asking Minister Park, as the head of the ministry which is responsible for the worst diplomatic disaster, to take responsibility," DPK floor leader Rep. Park Hong-keun said.

DPK Rep. Lee Soo-jin said presidential aides of National Security Office Director Kim Sung-han, first deputy director Kim Tae-hyo and senior presidential secretary for public relations Kim Eun-hye should appear at the National Assembly's House Steering Committee to answer questions.

"The DPK and the PPP began negotiations on holding a House Steering Committee meeting on Friday, but the PPP has not answered yet," Lee said.

Following the DPK's efforts to oust him, Foreign Minister Park said he will continue serving his role for Korea's interest.

"The international diplomatic and security environment surrounding us (Korea) is very grave," Park said in a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Against this backdrop, it is regrettable that the main opposition party is exploiting its majority to have the country's diplomacy, which is the Maginot Line of the national interest, as a subject of partisan conflict."

He added, "The national interest is bound to be impaired if diplomacy becomes a subject of partisan conflict. As the minister of foreign affairs, I will continue serving my role stably for the sake of the people and the national interest."

Against this backdrop, the two parties clashed in a series of legislative events on Tuesday. The confirmation hearing for the health minister candidate was adjourned as DPK lawmakers refused to proceed until Yoon apologizes for his remarks. A House Steering Committee meeting on Tuesday also adjourned as lawmakers exchanged salvoes over Yoon's trip.


Emailnamhw@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
miguel
Top 10 Stories
130 people purchased 8,000 homes: data 30 people purchased 8,000 homes: data
2National Assembly passes motion to arrest DPK chiefNational Assembly passes motion to arrest DPK chief
3Gender equality minister nominee in hot seat over remarks on abortion Gender equality minister nominee in hot seat over remarks on abortion
4Seoul invites ambassadors to introduce new halal foods in Korea Seoul invites ambassadors to introduce new halal foods in Korea
5Kim Jong-un's rejection of Russia's food assistance irritates North Korean defectors Kim Jong-un's rejection of Russia's food assistance irritates North Korean defectors
6Scientists find green way to turn CO2 into fuel with sunlightScientists find green way to turn CO2 into fuel with sunlight
7S. Korea condemns Russia, seeks to mend ties with China S. Korea condemns Russia, seeks to mend ties with China
8COVID-19 deaths hit record high in Korea for 2022 COVID-19 deaths hit record high in Korea for 2022
9Honey-dipped cookie to represent 'K-desserts' at global food expo in Germany Honey-dipped cookie to represent 'K-desserts' at global food expo in Germany
10Rights experts from 17 countries demand release of North Korean escapees in China Rights experts from 17 countries demand release of North Korean escapees in China
Top 5 Entertainment News
1BTS defies K-pop's 'seven-year curse' BTS defies K-pop's 'seven-year curse'
2Aespa's VR concert to hit theaters Oct. 25 Aespa's VR concert to hit theaters Oct. 25
3Gang Dong-won becomes exorcist con artist in 'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman' Gang Dong-won becomes exorcist con artist in 'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman'
4[INTERVIEW] Virtual K-pop group MAVE: is more than just pretty pixels INTERVIEWVirtual K-pop group MAVE: is more than just pretty pixels
5BLACKPINK's contract renewal still in limbo BLACKPINK's contract renewal still in limbo
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group