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| Rep. Kim Moo-sung, a former ruling Saenuri Party chairman, speaks to reporters after announcing he would drop his bid for the presidential race at a press conference in the National Assembly, Wednesday. Kim said he will push to impeach President Park Geun-hye. / Yonhap |
Impeachment motion expected to gain further momentum
By Kim Hyo-jin
Former ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung announced Wednesday he will drop his bid for the presidential election, taking responsibility for the unfolding scandal centering around President Park Geun-hye.
The six-term lawmaker, one of the presidential hopefuls from the ruling side, vowed to concentrate his efforts on impeaching Park, providing substantial momentum for the National Assembly move to oust the President.
"I give up a presidential bid, the last dream of my political career," Kim said in an urgent press conference at the National Assembly. "I feel deeply responsible for the ongoing political chaos as a person who helped the inauguration of the Park administration and a former party leader."
Kim said he is determined to prevent the crisis caused by Park from triggering the collapse of the conservative bloc.
The prosecution unveiled its interim investigation results, Sunday, showing Park colluded with Choi in the extortion of millions of dollars from top conglomerates through dubious sports foundations and paper companies.
"President Park betrayed the people and the Saenuri Party and gravely violated the Constitution," said Kim. "She deserves to be impeached."
He said the ruling party is currently reluctant to join the efforts to unseat Park as it is calculating its political gains and losses, pledging to make the impeachment Saenuri's official stance.
Impeachment requires more than two-thirds of the votes in the 300-seat Assembly, and given the opposition bloc occupies 171, an impeachment motion will require at least 29 votes from the Saenuri Party.
Opposition parties welcomed Kim's move, saying they will join forces with him to push for Park's impeachment.
"We welcome him stepping up. We will work together with him for the impeachment process," said Rep. Youn Kwan-suk, a chief spokesperson of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
The DPK vowed to devise a draft of the impeachment motion by early next week. The minor opposition People's Party has formed a panel to push for impeachment.
As the move gained steam, rival parties may be able to put a vote on the impeachment motion during either of the plenary sessions slated for Dec. 2 and Dec. 9, party officials expect.
Kim's announcement came amid deepening strife between anti-Park Saenuri lawmakers and the loyalist party leadership, deepened by the country's largest political scandal in decades.
Park dissenters who flocked around presidential hopefuls including Kim have urged the party leadership led by Chairman Lee Jung-hyun, a staunch Park ally, to step down. Some have started quitting the party in opposition to the current leadership.
Following the announcement, Kim is expected to gain further momentum against the chairman and Park loyalists in the party while keeping anti-Park lawmakers under his wing, pundits say.
"Lee will face overwhelming pressure now that Kim, the leading potential presidential candidate in the ruling party, threw away his bid, citing his responsibility of the situation," said Hwang Tae-soon, a political analyst. "Also, Kim would have a cause to glue anti-Park lawmakers together while leading the impeachment process."
Later in the day, Lee reiterated his plan to quit the post on Dec. 21 or 26 at the latest.
"It's heartbreaking that Kim gave up his lifelong dream," Lee told reporters. "But I already put my foot down to resign on Dec. 21."
The embattled chairman, however, has already shown signs of backing down amid rising pressure from anti-Park lawmakers, party officials view.
He said Tuesday he will discuss whether to accept calls to launch an interim leadership in the decision-making Supreme Council.
Kim decided to pull out of the race amid falling support for the Saenuri Party, said Shin Yul, a politics professor at Myongji University.
Kim opted for leading the political realignment and constitutional revision instead of seeking a presidential bid he has little possibility of winning, Shin said.
Kim said in the press conference he will "seek to revise the Constitution along with a push for impeachment," fueling speculation he is eyeing a prime ministerial post after replacing the current presidential system with a parliamentary one.
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