South Korea: National Assembly Speaker Declares Joint Exercise of Presidential Authority by PM and Ruling Party 'Unconstitutional'

Seoul, Dec 8 (NationPress) The Speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, Woo Won-shik, asserted on Sunday that it would constitute a flagrant breach of the Constitution if the Prime Minister and members of the ruling party were to jointly wield presidential authority.

These comments were made shortly after Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the leader of the ruling People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, expressed their commitment to alleviating disorder through a systematic early exit of the President, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.

"The transfer of presidential power is derived from the populace, and this transition must comply with the Constitution and the principle of popular sovereignty," Woo stated during an emergency press conference at the National Assembly, criticizing the joint press conference as arrogant.

He emphasized, "Impeachment is the only lawful method to suspend the president's responsibilities, and the Constitution outlines the procedure for when the President is unable to fulfill his duties."

Woo referenced a motion aimed at impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol over the declaration of martial law that was withdrawn on Saturday, due to a boycott by almost all ruling party lawmakers, which led to insufficient quorum.

The Assembly Speaker mentioned that he had already communicated his views to the Prime Minister via phone and had turned down Han's proposal for a meeting.

Furthermore, Woo suggested discussions between the ruling party and the main opposition to address the immediate suspension of President Yoon Suk Yeol's authority and to resolve the turmoil caused by Yoon's brief declaration of martial law last week.