NAT’L ASSEMBLY VOTES ON IMPEACHMENT MOTION

[Anchor Lead]

The impeachment motion for Minister Lee Sang-min pushed jointly by the opposition bloc will be introduced at the general assembly today. National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo announced that the motion to impeach Interior Minister Lee Sang-min will be put up to a vote, and if it is passed, it will be the first impeachment of a Cabinet minister in the nation's constitutional history.

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National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo announced that the motion to impeach Interior Minister Lee Sang-min will be put up to a vote at Wednesday's general assembly. He explained the decision came after considering parliamentary practices and discussing the matter with both parties' floor negotiating groups. People Power Party Floor Leader Joo Ho-young had asked Speaker Kim to not introduce the impeachment motion, but this request was apparently rejected. The Democratic Party said that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration brought the impeachment motion on itself by ignoring the victims of the Halloween Itaewon crowd crush and focusing only on defending Minister Lee. The opposition party vowed to pass the motion.

[Soundbite] Park Hong-keun(Floor Leader, Democratic Party) : "The people are enraged by the government’s political scheming that uses people’s lives and safety as political tools without repenting if it gives them immediate political gains."

Meanwhile, the minority People Power Party argued that a blemish should not be left on constitutional history. The ruling bloc plans to decide whether to leave the voting at the general assembly in protest or to vote against the motion.

[Soundbite] Joo Ho-young(Floor Leader, People Power Party) : "The DP’s impeachment motion does not fulfill the impeachment requirements and wasn‘t discussed by the two parties."

Five ministerial impeachment motions, excluding the one for Minister Lee, have been presented so far, but none passed the general assembly. But the latest motion is likely to be the first one to pass the National Assembly since the three opposition parties, accounting for 60% of the parliamentary seats, have banded together to present the motion. Meanwhile, presidential senior secretary for political affairs Lee Jin-bok visited the National Assembly Wednesday morning and said that it isn't right to go ahead with the impeachment as the Constitution or laws have not been violated.