The ruling People Power Party (PPP) slammed the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) Monday after the Constitutional Court rejected the opposition-led impeachment of Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, saying the DP railroaded the impeachment only for political gains.
The court's decision came nearly six months after the DP-controlled National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against Lee to hold him accountable for the tragic crowd crush in Seoul's nightlife district of Itaewon, which claimed 159 lives last year.
The nine justices unanimously agreed to reject the motion, saying it's impossible to conclude that Lee failed to fulfill his constitutional duties to protect people or violated the disaster and safety management act. The court also said the Itaewon tragedy was the result of many factors, not a specific one.
"The impeachment motion against Minister Lee lacked the necessary legal requirements from the parliamentary deliberation stage, so today's decision from the Constitutional Court is totally a matter-of-course result," PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon said in a Facebook post.
Kim also said the DP should take political responsibility for causing confusion in the government's disaster response capabilities as Lee, the main government minister in charge of disaster handling, was suspended from duties following the impeachment.
On the other hand, the DP said it respects the court's decision.
"We respect the decision from the Constitutional Court ... but there are definitely things (he) should be responsible for," floor leader Park Kwang-on told reporters after he finished the disaster recovery volunteer work in the southern county of Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province.
Park, however, pushed back against claims the impeachment motion was unconstitutional.
"Saying the impeachment drive was unconstitutional conduct just because it was rejected by the court is akin to arguing the parliament should not perform the actions specified in the constitution," he said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency