National Petition for Impeachment of Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek Approaches 150,000 Signatures; PPP Demands Dismissal

As of today, June 24, approximately 140,000 people have participated in a National Assembly petition calling for the impeachment of Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek.

According to the National Assembly's public petition website, 145,572 people have signed the petition, which was posted on June 18.

The petition states that "public concern over national security and the safety of service members is growing due to the dismantling of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, the dispersal of its core functions, and a lack of responsible measures regarding the recent reservist death incident." It requests that the National Assembly thoroughly investigate the appropriateness of Minister Ahn's performance of his duties and proceed with his impeachment.

In response, People Power Party (PPP) Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho wrote on Facebook today, "Under Minister Ahn, the Ministry of National Defense is pushing forward with policies that shake the foundations of national defense—such as dismantling the Defense Counterintelligence Command, consolidating and relocating military academies, and outsourcing rear-unit security to private entities—without sufficient verification or discussion." He added, "There have also been visible discrepancies between our Ministry of National Defense and the UN Command regarding various issues amid concerns over the weakening of the ROK-U.S. alliance."

He further criticized the ministry, stating, "The investigation and accountability for the reservist training death in Pocheon last month, which sparked public outrage among many young people, are being swept under the rug due to the complete indifference of the Minister and military leadership. There was even a shocking incident where a program introducing China's 'War to Resist America and Aid Korea' narrative appeared at the War Memorial of Korea."

He continued, "The President must not take this public petition, which surpassed 100,000 signatures in just five days, lightly. We strongly urge the dismissal of Minister Ahn and a complete overhaul of the national defense and security policy stance to resolve security anxieties."

PPP Chief Spokesperson Choi Su-jin also commented, "The current situation, with a flood of petitions calling for the impeachment of Minister Ahn, is not merely a personnel failure but a clear 'personnel disaster' born from the Lee Jae-myung administration's distorted view on security. The President must immediately dismiss Minister Ahn and completely overhaul the diplomatic and security team."

Meanwhile, Floor Leader Choo noted that a separate public petition calling for the withdrawal of the amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act has also surpassed 100,000 signatures. He urged the Democratic Party to "face the public anxiety revealed by these petitions and begin discussions on suspending the implementation of the bill and revising it."

He stated, "The Information and Communications Network Act, which our party tried to block late last year as one of the 'three evil laws that silence the public,' is scheduled to take effect on July 7. This is an evil law that will effectively lead to the suppression of freedom of expression by the authorities' arbitrary judgment across media, YouTube, and the internet, as the criteria for 'false manipulated information' are ambiguous."

(Photo: Screenshot of website, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.