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Mon, April 19, 2021 | 14:04
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Ruling party imploding on impeachment
친박 '탄핵 의총' 보이콧, 128명 중 60여명 참석…"이미 두쪽"
Posted : 2016-11-25 17:15
Updated : 2016-11-26 17:28
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By Kim Hyo-jin

The ruling Saenuri Party is on the brink of a split over a motion to impeach the scandal-ridden President Park Geun-hye.

Most pro-Park lawmakers boycotted a party meeting on how to deal with the impeachment motion led by the opposition parties, making it a half-member gathering, Friday. Only about 60 of 128 lawmakers appeared, underscoring a widening gap between pro-Park and anti-Park members.

With the ruling bloc failing to find a breakthrough amid the corruption scandal involving the President and her confident Choi Soon-sil, Park's approval rating fell to as low 4 percent, an all-time low for elected Presidents in South Korean history. And the support rate of the Saenuri Party also stood at 12 percent, a record-low in the party's history, according to the latest Gallup poll.

The plunging approval ratings for both the President and the governing party are expected to escalate conflicts in the imploding ruling side, with the two Park factions colliding head-on over the move to impeach her.

With disgruntled pro-Park lawmakers absent from the meeting, floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk questioned whether the party should follow the timeline presented by the opposition.

Floor leaders of the three opposition parties agreed Thursday to put an impeachment motion to a vote within the regular session of the National Assembly, which will last until Dec. 9. They said the voting could be arranged on Dec. 2 at the earliest _ the day when a plenary session is scheduled to vote on the 2017 budget.

"I want to make it clear that I cannot accept either Dec. 2 or Dec. 9. We should focus on the envisioned parliamentary investigation of the scandal and the budget during that time period." Chung said. "Rather than hastily pushing for a vote on the impeachment motion, it's better to mull over every possible scenario to normalize state affairs first."

He asked fellow lawmakers to allow him the right to negotiate on the impeachment process with the opposition, only to receive the cold shoulder from participants, most of whom were anti-Park lawmakers.

Rep. Na Kyung-won, one of the senior lawmakers leading the anti-Park group, said, "A starting point to normalize state affairs can be voting on the impeachment motion."

Expressing concerns about the deepening public outcry over Park's resignation or impeachment, Rep. Ha Tae-keung, another anti-Park member, said, "If our party refuses to vote, we will be crushed by angry citizens who will pour onto Gwanghwamun Square tomorrow."

Chung later backed down in the face of the criticism. He denied that he was attempting to delay the voting, saying the party will leave the matter up to lawmakers, and not make it an official stance.

Meanwhile, Rep. Hwang Young-cheul confirmed that there are a minimum of 40 Saenuri Party lawmakers who are in favor of impeachment.

For the motion to be passed, a minimum of 28 votes were required from the ruling party. It needs support from two-thirds of the 300 Assemblymen. The opposition views that securing over 35 votes from the ruling party will be ideal assuming there could be some opponents among the 172 opposition and independent lawmakers.



친박 '탄핵 의총' 보이콧, 128명 중 60여명 참석…"이미 두쪽"

새누리당 지도부 거취와 박근혜 대통령 탄핵소추안 문제를 둘러싼 당내 갈등이 연일 격화하는 양상이다.

각종 여론조사에서 더불어민주당은 물론 국민의당에도 뒤처지며 지지율 3위 정당으로 내려앉는 치욕을 당하고 있음에도 주류와 비주류간 집안싸움은 좀처럼 화해의 실마리를 찾지 못하고 있다.

비주류 의원들의 요구로 25일 국회에서 열린 의원총회에서는 이미 '두집살림'이 된 양 계파의 내홍이 그대로 드러났다. 

이정현 대표가 참석하긴 했지만 주류측 의원 대다수는 '당을 시끄럽게 하려면 차라리 당을 나가라'면서 의총에 참석하지 않았고, 비주류는 탄핵 찬성 의원이 40명에 달했다면서 주류측을 상대로 압박 수위를 높였다. 

주류의 '보이콧'으로 의총장에서 정면충돌은 없었지만 양측의 갈등은 곳곳에서 분출됐다.

우선 박 대통령의 탄핵 추진과 관련, 비주류 비상시국회의는 의총에 앞서 브리핑을 통해 '탄핵안이 상정될 경우 찬성하겠다는 의원이 40명으로 확인됐다'고 선포하면서 '선제공격'에 나섰다.

황영철 의원은 또 이날 CBS라디오에 출연, 전날 이 대표의 '예수 팔아먹는 유다' 발언을 문제삼으며 '국민을 배신한 사람들이야말로 유다다. 굉장히 반대로 얘기하셨다'면서 '이렇게 잘못된 인식을 하고 있는 한 아무것도 우리 친박 지도부에 기댈 수 없다'고 비판했다.

그러나 이에 맞서 한 주류 핵심 당직자는 연합뉴스와의 전화통화에서 '결국 이렇게 하다가 비주류들이 탈당하겠지만 얼마나 함께 나갈 수 있을지 자신감이 없는 것 아니겠느냐'면서 '집단탈당을 추진하더라도 많아야 30명일 것'이라고 주장했다.

또 박 대통령 탄핵에 대해서도 주류측은 특검 결과 등을 확인한 뒤 추진해야 한다는 신중론을 재확인하며 방어막을 폈다.

한 주류측 의원은 통화에서 '특검 결과 등을 보고 정말 대통령이 잘못한 것으로 나타나면 그땐 친박(친박근혜)이고 뭐고 계파를 떠나 탄핵을 해야 하지만, 지금은 언론에 거론된 것만 가지고 탄핵에 앞장서는 게 말이 되느냐'고 목소리를 높였다.

이런 가운데 이날 의원총회에서는 정진석 원내대표가 박 대통령 탄핵 절차의 협상 권한을 본인에게 일임해 달라고 제안했으나 비주류 의원들로부터 호응을 받지 못한 것으로 알려졌다.

또 의총에는 128명 의원중 비주류 중심으로 60명 안팎에 그친 참석 의원들 가운데 정 원내대표의 제안에 박수를 친 의원은 소수에 그쳤다고 복수의 참석자는 전했다. (연합뉴스)
Emailhyojinkim@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
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