Opposition submits motion to impeach 'power abusing' justice minister

Rep. Kim Sung-won, right, deputy floor leader of the main opposition United Future Party, and Rep. Kwon Eun-hee, floor leader of the minor opposition People's Party, submit an impeachment bill against Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae to the National Assembly Secretariat, Monday. Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

The opposition are seeking to impeach Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae for “abuse of power” amid her conflict with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl over how to carry out an investigation into an alleged blackmail case.

The main opposition United Future Party (UFP), in partnership with the minor opposition People's Party, submitted an impeachment bill to oust the minister to the National Assembly Secretariat, Monday.

“Minister Choo has violated laws governing the prosecution by abusing her power multiple times. She removed some prosecutors, who were doing their best in carrying out investigations, from their posts even though it was not a regular personnel reshuffle period,” UFP floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young said during a party meeting at the Assembly earlier in the day. “Choo has committed the largest number of illegalities and damaged the independence of investigations more than any other former justice minister.”

According to the country's Constitution, a motion for impeachment against high-ranking government officials other than the President can be proposed when at least one third of the total 300 members of the Assembly agree to it. Such a motion can be passed when more than half of the total members vote for it.

Under the law governing Assembly operations, a vote must be held between 24 and 72 hours after the impeachment bill is presented at a plenary session. The impeachment bill against Choo is likely to be submitted to the plenary session Tuesday and a vote may take place Friday.

As the UFP holds 103 seats and the People's Party has three, while the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) holds a supermajority of 176 seats, the bill is not likely to be passed; although Joo said, “I expect many DPK members to vote for the impeachment.”

This is not the first time for the opposition parties to seek to hold the justice minister in check. In early July, the UFP and the People's Party submitted a resolution calling for Choo to stop “suppressing” Yoon and maintain fairness in carrying her duties as minister.

The UFP also proposed an impeachment bill as well during the 20th Assembly in July, but the bill was scrapped automatically as no plenary session was held within 72 hours.

Since taking office in January this year, Choo has been in a power struggle with the prosecutor general.

One of the clashes took place over the investigation into the blackmail case involving a former journalist and one of Yoon's close aides.

Earlier this month, Yoon “gave in to” Choo by accepting the minister's order to recuse himself from the case. The investigation is currently being carried out by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office as Choo has called for; not by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office which Yoon wanted.

Other cases they were at odds over included an inspection of the prosecution regarding a claim that prosecutors allegedly pressured witnesses to commit perjury in the probe of Han Myeong-sook, a former prime minister under the late President Roh Moo-hyun. Amid the conflict, Choo even said Yoon misdirected prosecutors as he did not “modestly listen to the justice minister's order.”