Opposition to Make Another Try on Friday


By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter
Lawmakers of the pro-government Uri Party on Thursday blocked a National Assembly vote on South Korea’s first-ever motion to impeach President Roh Moo-hyun.

The plenary session was delayed until 10 a.m. on Friday after Assembly Speaker Park Kwan-yong could not physically reach the podium to begin the voting session. The opposition has until 6:27 p.m. to put the motion to a vote or it will be nullified.

``I will convene the session tomorrow,’’ Park said, while sternly warning the Uri Party that he will take ``all possible actions’’ if the de facto ruling camp’s blockage continues. Opposition parties want Park to place parliamentary guards in the main hall to keep the full session in order.

Around 30 Uri Party legislators stood in Park’s way to the podium when he entered the hall at 4:25 p.m. Opposition lawmakers took their seats but refrained from using force to break through the barrier. Park called it a day after 90-minutes of haggling.

Opposition leaders condemned the Uri Party’s maneuver as a ``mutiny against constitutionality’’ and stated that they have already secured enough votes to pass the impeachment motion.

``We’ve already got 181 votes (to pass the impeachment motion) as of 8 p.m. on March 10,’’ said the majority opposition Grand National Party (GNP)’s floor leader Hong Sa-duk. ``As a matter of fact, President Roh is already impeached.’’

Hong’s show of confidence came as Roh flatly declined to apologize for the alleged breach of the election rules. The embattled head of state also said he will stake his political stock on the result of the April 15 general elections.

After Roh’s news conference, a number of junior lawmakers, who didn’t sign on the bid for the impeachment motion, including Rep. Chu Mi-ae of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), showed signs of switching to the party line. The MDP initiated the motion to impeach the president.

``The state affairs will break up if (the president) goes on without restraint,’’ Chu said. ``I think it’s time for the Assembly to make a calm judgment.’’

The parliament needs 181 votes, two-thirds of the total 271 National Assemblymen, to pass the motion. A total of 159 lawmakers signed on for the impeachment bid Tuesday.

Opposition leaders urged that the party legislators should follow the leadership’s decision. ``If (lawmakers) don’t follow the party line, I will sternly deal with them with measures, including expelling them or depriving them of the cards to run (for the April 15 general elections),’’ said GNP chairman Choe Byung-yul.

The president faced the impeachment proceedings after giving open support to the Uri Party, which the state election watchdog considered a breach of the election rules.

Opposition lawmakers burned with anger after Roh sternly rejected to apologize.

``President Roh made a unilateral excuses with no apology,’’ said Hong Joon-pyo, a top strategist of the GNP. ``There is no other way but to go to the impeachment vote. The president, who only patch up things and deceive the people, should now step down.’’

The MDP also showed its unison with the GNP. ``President Roh’s determination to bet his post on the elections is an addition to the reasons for his impeachment,’’ said MDP spokesman Kim Young-hwan. ``It was nothing but a threat to the people and the National Assembly.’’

The Uri Party, meanwhile, fully supported Roh’s remarks and made a last-ditch effort to address the impeachment crisis. ``The deadlock should be broken with dialogue between the president and the leaders of each of the four parties,’’ said Chung Dong-young, Uri Party chairman. Chung’s belated efforts, however, failed to generate any reaction from the opposition parties.

im@koreatimes.co.kr