Yoon's office says abuse of impeachment power will face people's stern judgment
Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, who was impeached by the parliament on Feb. 8, arrives at the Constitutional Court in Seoul to attend an initial hearing on his impeachment that has suspended his duties, May 9. Yonhap
The presidential office said Tuesday the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's "abuse" of impeachment powers will be sternly judged by the people after the Constitutional Court rejected the impeachment of Interior Minister Lee Sang-min over last year's deadly crowd crush in Seoul.
The court's decision came nearly six months after the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against Lee to hold him accountable for the crowd crush that killed 159 people in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood on Oct. 29.
"The impeachment system is aimed at defending the liberal democratic constitutional order," a senior presidential official told Yonhap News Agency after the ruling was announced. "This was an abuse of impeachment powers by the large opposition, which did not meet the purpose and conditions."
The official added, "Such anti-constitutional conduct will face the people's stern judgment."
Lee was immediately reinstated following the ruling.
According to another presidential official, Lee's suspension from office pending the trial created a large vacuum in handling issues overseen by the ministry, including the response to recent deadly downpours.
"A large gap was inevitable in areas such as disaster response, police management and government appointments," the official said.
The official also questioned whether there were clear grounds to hold Lee responsible for the deadly crowd crush under relevant laws and the Constitution. (Yonhap)