People Power Party Condemns Ruling Party's Push for Committee Formation

People Power Party announced on June 29 that it will submit a motion to dismiss Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek as part of its official stance. The party also strongly condemned the Democratic Party's efforts to push through the formation of the 22nd National Assembly's committees.

Jung Jeom-sik, the party's floor leader, stated during a general meeting at the National Assembly, "People Power Party intends to submit a motion to dismiss Minister Ahn, reflecting the will of 200,000 citizens who signed a petition." The party members responded with applause.

Jung noted that the petition calling for Ahn's impeachment has surpassed 200,000 signatures, criticizing Ahn for pursuing significant changes in national defense without adequate review, which has heightened public security concerns. He pointed out issues such as the dismantling of the Defense Security Command, the consolidation and relocation of military academies, and the outsourcing of military rear guard duties to private security firms.

He further highlighted the frequent conflicts between the Ministry of National Defense and the United Nations Command, the rushed proposal to present the Korean War at the War Memorial of Korea through the lens of China's support for North Korea, and the recent death of a reservist in Pocheon, stating that these incidents reflect a failure to fulfill national responsibilities. Jung added that once the committee formation is finalized, the Defense Committee will thoroughly examine whether Ahn's actions constitute grounds for impeachment or violations of the Constitution and laws.

Regarding the committee formation negotiations, Jung criticized the Democratic Party and National Assembly Speaker Jung Sung-keun for pressuring the opposition to submit member lists before finalizing the distribution of committee chairs. He stated, "It is only natural to finalize the distribution of committee chairs before arranging the member lists, yet there is no intention to negotiate from their side."

Jung and other People Power Party lawmakers moved to the National Assembly's Rotunda during the general meeting to hold a rally condemning the ruling party's push for committee formation.

In her speech, lawmaker Na Kyung-won expressed serious regret over Speaker Jung's forced assignment of committee positions, stating, "The Speaker's actions are not a declaration of abandoning party affiliation but rather a declaration of strong party loyalty." She added, "If the ruling party intends to declare a one-party dictatorship by sidelining the opposition, then they should dissolve the National Assembly," asserting that there can be no normalization of the National Assembly or negotiations on the 22nd committee formation without reclaiming the chair of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee.