Ruling party leader: “There is no way other than impeachment”

[Anchor]

After hearing the address, Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, immediately suggested that the only way to suspend the president's duties is through impeachment, proposing that the party should support impeachment as a party line.

The number of ruling party lawmakers who publicly expressed their support for impeachment has increased to seven today (12.12).

Reporter Kim Ji-sook reports.

[Report]

Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon stated that President Yoon can no longer perform his duties immediately after the president's address to the public.

He urged that the president's duties should be suspended through impeachment, as well as expulsion and dismissal from the party, calling for support for the impeachment motion as a party line.

[Han Dong-hoon/People Power Party Leader: "We must promptly organize and suspend the president's duties through the impeachment process. Our party must support impeachment as a party line."]

Right after Han's statement, Jin Jong-oh, a youth supreme council member close to him, expressed his support for impeachment.

He stated that the current martial law situation has clearly undermined the values and philosophy of the People Power Party.

[Jin Jong-oh/People Power Party Member: "I want to emphasize that this is not a simple political calculation, but a decision to uphold the spirit of the Constitution and democracy of the Republic of Korea."]

So far, a total of seven lawmakers from the People Power Party have publicly expressed their support for impeachment, following three who participated in the vote on the impeachment bill on December 3, and the number of defectors is increasing daily.

If just one more lawmaker supports it, the necessary 200 votes for the impeachment motion to pass will be reached.

[Jeong Sung-kook/People Power Party Member: "(The number of supporters for impeachment) is likely to increase. The announcement was quite shocking, and the justification for blocking impeachment may have weakened..."]

Currently, the party line of the People Power Party is against impeachment, but following the public declaration of support, lawmakers are increasingly stating that they will vote freely in the upcoming re-vote, leading to a prevailing outlook that the impeachment motion will pass.

[Kweon Seong-dong/Newly elected floor leader of the People Power Party: "I believe it is necessary to go as a united front on important issues. We will hold a general meeting of lawmakers to gather opinions and make a decision."]

The People Power Party plans to discuss voting participation and the party line against impeachment again at the general meeting of lawmakers ahead of the plenary session on Devember 14.

KBS News, Kim Ji-sook.