The Defeat of 'Yoon's Impeachment Bill' Gains Weight... Will Han Duck-soo and Han Dong-hoon Lead a 'Two-Person' System?

Yoon Stops the Impeachment Train and Declares 'Second Line Retreat'

National Affairs Likely to Be Managed by Han Duck-soo and Han Dong-hoon

Discussion of Responsible Prime Minister System and Term Reduction Amendment

Differences Already Emerging Among Pro-Yoon and Pro-Han Factions

As the possibility of the impeachment bill against President Yoon Suk-yeol being defeated in the National Assembly's plenary session on the 7th increases, attention is focused on how the national affairs management system led by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon will unfold.

The National Assembly held a plenary session on this day to vote on the impeachment bill against President Yoon, proposed by the Democratic Party of Korea and six other opposition parties. However, as most People Power Party lawmakers walked out, the vote is likely to be dismissed as 'invalid'.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik has not declared the end of the vote and is keeping the plenary session open, but as of 8 p.m. on this day, only three People Power Party lawmakers, Kim Ye-ji, Ahn Cheol-soo, and Kim Sang-wook, participated in the vote. According to the National Assembly Act, if the number of participants in the vote does not reach the quorum of 200, the impeachment bill is automatically dismissed as invalid. Excluding People Power Party lawmakers, there are a total of 192 opposition lawmakers, so more than eight ruling party lawmakers need to participate in the vote for it to be valid.

Earlier, President Yoon apologized for the martial law situation on the 3rd in a public statement and said, "I will leave the stabilization measures for the future political situation, including my term, to our party." This indicates President Yoon's intention to effectively step back to the 'second line' before the impeachment vote.

If the impeachment bill against President Yoon is indeed defeated, it is expected that Prime Minister Han and leader Han will take charge of stabilizing the political situation under a 'two-person system'. After President Yoon's statement, the two held an emergency meeting to discuss measures for political stability.

It is reported that Prime Minister Han said at the meeting, "I will closely communicate with the party and take good care of the people's livelihood economy."

Specific measures for President Yoon's 'second line retreat' include the 'responsible prime minister system' or a 'term reduction amendment'.

The responsible prime minister system is a system that allows the Prime Minister to practically exercise the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, such as the recommendation of cabinet members and the right to propose the dismissal of ministers. This is interpreted as a political term, meaning that if the Prime Minister's authority is strengthened, the Prime Minister can play a leading role in appointing ministers and managing national affairs.

Some within the party are also discussing a 'term reduction amendment'. This involves discussing President Yoon's natural resignation through a term reduction amendment that changes the current five-year single-term presidency to a four-year renewable term. There is also an argument that holding the presidential election together with the local elections in June 2026 could be a 'early resignation election'.

However, it seems that internal conflicts over measures to stabilize the political situation will continue even under the 'two-person' system of Prime Minister Han and leader Han. This is because President Yoon left room for interpretation by saying in his statement, "Our party and government will take joint responsibility for future national affairs management."

Pro-Yoon lawmakers expressed the position that President Yoon should continue to perform his duties unless he is impeached, while pro-Han lawmakers argued that the party should be at the center of national affairs management.

Lee Seul-gi, Hankyung.com reporter seulkee@hankyung.com