Democratic Party delays PM impeachment push

[Anchor]

Acting President Han Duck-soo did not promulgate the special prosecutor bill demanded by the Democratic Party, leading the party to initiate impeachment proceedings.

Initially, they stated they would propose the impeachment motion today (12.24), but later decided to hold off and observe whether the constitutional judges would be appointed on the day after tomorrow (12.26).

Reporter Lee Hee-yeon has the details.

[Report]

The Democratic Party issued an ultimatum to Acting President Han Duck-soo to promulgate the special prosecutor bill regarding the insurrection charges and the special prosecutor bill concerning First Lady Kim Keon-hee by today.

When Acting President Han did not comply, they immediately began the impeachment process.

[Lee Jae-myung/Democratic Party Leader: "Isn't it a declaration that they will run the state affairs as instructed by the People Power Party? It is the same as expressing the intention to support and endorse insurrection activities."]

However, just before proposing the impeachment motion, which had been adopted unanimously as the party's stance, they reversed this decision.

[Park Chan-dae/Democratic Party Floor Leader: "We did decide to propose it immediately today, but we will see whether the constitutional judges and our demands are met on the 26th."]

They passed the ball back to Acting President Han once again, urging the recommendation of candidates for the special prosecutor and the appointment of constitutional judges, emphasizing that the 26th is the last opportunity.

Earlier, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik also urged Acting Prime Minister Han to address the special prosecutor bill and appoint Constitutional Court justices.

However, while he criticized Han for framing the special prosecutor bill as a matter for bipartisan negotiation, he also expressed concerns about the impeachment motion.

[Woo Won-shik/National Assembly Speaker: "I hope we do not reach the worst-case scenario (of impeachment). I urge the acting prime minister to handle this matter carefully to prevent such outcomes in the future."]

The Democratic Party plans to propose the impeachment motion on Dec. 26 and report it to the National Assembly plenary session on Dec. 27 if Acting President Han does not accept their demands by the day after tomorrow.

KBS News, Lee Hee-yeon.