South Korea's National Assembly Speaker, Woo Won-shik, has declared a recent joint statement by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon as a \"blatant violation of the Constitution.\"
The joint statement asserted that President Yoon Suk-yeol would refrain from involving himself in the country's internal and foreign affairs until his resignation. However, Speaker Woo criticized this move, calling it misleading and an attempt to legitimize unconstitutional actions.
\"The transfer of presidential power comes from the people, and such a process should abide by the Constitution and the principle of popular sovereignty,\" Woo emphasized. He further stated that impeachment is the only legal procedure to suspend the president from his duties.
In response to the growing political tension, Speaker Woo has proposed initiating talks between the ruling party and the main opposition to discuss the immediate suspension of President Yoon's duties, aiming to resolve the ongoing political turmoil following Yoon's recent declaration of martial law.
Adding to the developments, President Yoon has accepted the resignation of Minister of the Interior and Safety, Lee Sang-min. Lee stated that stepping down was necessary to prevent further disruptions and confusion in governance. His resignation follows an impeachment motion filed by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which accuses him of complicity in the martial law declaration and of mobilizing police to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.
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S. Korean parliament speaker: Joint statement is unconstitutional
cgtn.com
