By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young

Public fatigue is reaching a fever pitch as the political sphere is once again plunged into an “impeachment regime”. The major opposition party has been criticized for abusing impeachment as a political tool, and some say it is a bulletproof armor for the party leader. The appropriateness of the impeachment attempt, which paralyzes the work of the auditor general and prosecutors, is debated.

The public is concerned that “politics has turned into a power struggle between political parties rather than serving the people.” It is argued that impeachment, which has become a tool of political conflict, hinders legislative activity and increases political unrest.

This raises the critical question, “Are parliamentarians invincible?” According to the Constitution and laws, there is no direct impeachment system for lawmakers. Instead, the public must rely on elections to evaluate their performance or internal party disciplinary procedures to hold them accountable.

Furthermore, while criminal penalties are available for lawmakers who commit crimes, they are often able to escape accountability through immunity for their parliamentary activities. To compensate for these limitations, there has been an ongoing debate about introducing a recall system.

Political experts emphasize that “impeachment is an important constitutional device, but if abused, it can undermine the spirit of the constitution,” and that “as lawmakers operate based on the trust of the people, it is urgent to establish institutional mechanisms to prevent abuse of power.”

To restore parliamentary trust and create a political environment where people's voices are heard, it is time for the political sphere to take responsibility and focus on collaboration and problem-solving.