Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea’s Democratic Party, said on Jan. 6 that Choi Sang-mok, the acting President and Prime Minister of the nation, must be held accountable for what he called “acts of rebellion” after an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol went unenforced.
Lee accused Choi of treason for not instructing the security service to cooperate with the warrant’s execution and said the party is considering filing charges against him. Democratic Party lawmakers have also warned that Choi could face impeachment, along with Oh Dong-woon, head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, who they said might also be impeached for failing to carry out the arrest.
The Democratic Party has previously taken similar steps, impeaching former acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo for delaying the appointment of Constitutional Court justices. While tensions briefly eased after Choi appointed two new justices, they flared up again when Yoon’s arrest warrant was not enforced. The party has since renewed its calls for Choi’s impeachment and is threatening further legal action, heightening political discord.
Since the imposition of martial law, S. Korea’s political and economic situation has been walking a tightrope. The reliance on an “acting-of-an-acting” leadership structure has only deepened the uncertainty.
Democratic Party threats to impeach Choi, and potentially other officials, add fuel to the fire. Critics warn that impeaching Oh, who is investigating Yoon, could push the country into deeper chaos.
Despite these concerns, the Democratic Party has doubled down on its aggressive tactics. The fragile sense of constitutional stability—reinstated after the sudden declaration of martial law and Yoon’s impeachment—had provided some reassurance internationally. Now, critics argue, Lee and his party are jeopardizing this balance.
Many believe Lee and the Democratic Party are focused on impeaching Yoon and forcing an early presidential election before the courts issue rulings on Lee’s own ongoing trials. However, political analysts caution that such extreme tactics risk crossing a line. Using impeachment as a political weapon to remove perceived obstacles could undermine the party’s credibility and erode public trust. Critics warn that this approach could backfire, leading to lasting political fallout.
