Justice Minister Park Sung-jae Expresses Frustration Over Impeachment: “I Was Wronged”

During a parliamentary session on the 16th, Justice Minister Park Sung-jae voiced his feelings regarding the impeachment attempt against him. He expressed frustration, stating, “If I had been allowed to continue my role without suspension, I could have worked diligently for four months. I felt deeply wronged.” 😥

Context of the Statement

Minister Park made these remarks while answering questions from Democratic Party of Korea (Deobureo Minjoo Party of Korea) Representative Baek Hye-ryeon during a government interpellation session covering education, society, and culture at the National Assembly.

The exchange was triggered by Rep. Baek’s inquiry about Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s nomination of Lee Wan-kyu and Ham Sang-hoon as candidates for the Constitutional Court justices. Rep. Baek asked if Minister Park respected the Constitutional Court’s decision regarding the National Assembly’s application for an injunction to suspend the nominations’ effect. Park responded that Constitutional Court decisions should be respected. 🤔

When Rep. Baek suggested that Minister Park had not fulfilled his role adequately, Park retorted, “Did I commit treason?” and “What have I done?” Rep. Baek responded by saying she didn’t think he had done well, citing the legal interpretations of the crime of insurrection. Park countered by questioning whether impeachment could be justified without evidence. 🤨

Background of the Impeachment

The impeachment motion against Minister Park was passed last year, spearheaded by the then-opposition parties, including the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party. However, the Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment on June 10, with a unanimous decision from all eight justices. Minister Park immediately resumed his duties.

Additional Remarks

Regarding media reports that Acting President Han argued in an opinion submitted to the Constitutional Court that the announcement of the Constitutional Court justices was made but the nominations were not, Minister Park stated that it was inappropriate to comment based on speculation without having seen the document.

When asked by Democratic Party Representative Kim Joo-young whether he intended to request Acting President Han to withdraw the nominations of Lee Wan-kyu and Ham Sang-hoon, Park responded that he believed the Acting President had considered various factors and necessities before making his decision. 🧐

Addressing the controversy surrounding Lee Wan-kyu, the Minister of Government Legislation, being nominated as a Constitutional Court justice despite allegations of involvement in the 12.12 military coup and 5.17 Emergency Decree, Park commented, “You are referring to the meeting at the (Presidential) residence on December 4th, but I was also present. Does that make me an accomplice to insurrection?”