194 votes in favor and 3 votes against it. This is the "special civil strife" adopted by the South Korean parliament yesterday with an overwhelming result, and also passed a special investigation bill against Yoon Seo-yeon's wife Kim Kyn-hee. This action shows that the common Democratic Party led by new President Lee Jae-ming has begun a comprehensive liquidation of the previous government, which of course is Lee Jae-ming's promise during his campaign.
The current ruling common Democratic Party has strong control over the South Korean parliament. Of the 300 seats in total, the Common Democratic Party has 178 seats, and the support of allies is enough to ensure the smooth passage of important bills. There were only three votes against this vote, which reflected that the opposition National Power Party no longer supported Yoon Seok-yeol.
Yong Seok-yue is probably doomed this time. According to South Korean law, the crime of "civil strife" can be sentenced to death. Now the South Korean prosecutor has obtained the exact evidence, and Yoon Seo-yeol has involved a number of charges such as suspected abuse of power and interference in the judicial system during his tenure. The special investigation will focus on the review of Yoon Seo-hyuk's mass arrest of protesters in 2022 and the "martial law incident" in December last year. These surveys are expected to take 6 months to complete, and the results of the survey will definitely have a profound impact on South Korean politics.
Why did the Li Zaiming government have to beat the dog in the water? Although Lee Jae-ming won the election with a 48.6% vote, the political environment facing the Communist Democratic Party remains complex. Although the conservative camp has been temporarily frustrated, it still has about 50% of voters' support. Among them, the candidate of the China Democratic Power Party, Kim Moon-soo, won 42.1% of the votes, and the reformed New Party Lee Jun-seok won 7.9%. These two people combined are evenly matched by Lee Jae-ming's votes. This political pattern means that any policy mistakes can quickly weaken the public opinion base of the ruling party.
Everyone knows that it has become a common practice for the South Korean president to be investigated after he stepped down. In the past thirty years, except for former President Kim Dae-jung, other former South Korean presidents have been subject to varying degrees of judicial scrutiny. Li Zaiming insisted on conducting this investigation this time is not only to fulfill his campaign promises, but also to prevent the conservatives from counterattacking in the future.
The political division facing Korean society is very serious. The latest poll shows that among the 20-30-year-olds, 43% of respondents believe that "South Korean society is serious", so the trial process of Yoon Seo-yeon's case will attract much attention.
The investigation of Yoon Seok-yeol’s wife Kim Kyung-hee is also very sensitive, because it is the first time that the first lady is held legally responsible in South Korea. The "educational degree" and "foundation scandal" exposed by the media have basically been verified to be true. This special inspection and court will focus on investigating whether Jin Jianxi used his first lady's identity to seek personal gain and suspected interference in government personnel arrangements.
Faced with former leader Yoon Seok-yeol in a judicial crisis, the Kuomintang adopted a "cutting" strategy to avoid being dragged down by the Yoon Seok-yeol scandal. There were calls for "innovation" within the National Power Party, and some members of the parliament advocated drawing a clear line with Yoon Seok-yeol and reshaping the image of the party.
In the long run, the healthy development of South Korea's political ecology needs to transcend party opposition. If the Common Democratic Party wants to achieve long-term rule, it is not enough to reckon with the ex alone, and it also needs to show practical economic governance achievements. At present, South Korea's social contradictions are very prominent, such as high housing prices, youth unemployment, and plummeting fertility rates, all need to be solved. These problems are far more urgent than the political liquidation of Yoon Seok-yeol. How Li Zaiming effectively responds to these challenges while promoting judicial investigations will determine the success or failure of his governance.
