In a public address on Sunday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said Yoon would no longer be involved in foreign and domestic affairs until his early resignation, adding that Prime Minister Han Dak-soo would manage government affairs in the meantime.
“The president will not participate in any state affairs, including diplomacy, until his departure,” party leader Han said.
However, Democratic Party leader Park Chan-dae called the proposed plan “an illegal, unconstitutional second uprising and second coup.”
Democratic Party spokesman Kim Min-seok was similarly critical of the plan, saying “nobody gave” PPP leader Han the authority to make such decisions.
“The announcement by the prime minister and the ruling party that they will jointly exercise the powers of the president, which no one has given them, is clearly unconstitutional,” he said, according to a report by The Korea Herald.
The Department of National Defense confirmed at a briefing on Monday that the president retains command of the armed forces. This means that in the event of any foreign policy incident, including any possible threat from North Korea, Yun can still, in theory, make executive decisions.
“The president can take the initiative again at any time if he changes his mind,” Myeonggi University political science professor Shin Yul told The Korea Herald.
“No one will be able to stop him if Yun insists.”
