December 16, 2024

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on December 15 welcomed the passage of an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol by South Korea’s National Assembly over Yoon’s martial law attempt.

Koike in a street speech in Kitakyushu City (Fukuoka Pref.) commented on the South Korean parliament’s decision to suspend Yoon from office, and said, “This is the power of democracy demonstrated by the people of South Korea. I express my heartfelt respect to them.”

Koike cited the fact that the motion at first failed to pass because most ruling party lawmakers walked out from the vote, which in turn led to the spread of a nationwide movement for Yoon’s impeachment. In the second vote, he continued, some ruling party lawmakers also voted in favor of the motion. Koike stressed that “the will of the people and the power of the movement” brought about the passage of the motion.

Koike said, “The power of the mass mobilization in the streets in South Korea showed that democracy is not something that is automatically given to us. It is something that we have to fight for and win together. The JCP will work hard together with concerned citizens to bring true democracy to Japan.”

Stating that next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII and the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea, Koike said, “South Korea is changing. Japan must also change.” He added, “It will be a chance for Japan to build a decent diplomatic relationship with South Korea by facing up to Japan’s past history of war of aggression and colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula. We should open a new era of Japan-Korea relations!”

Past related article:
> JCP Koike comments on South Korea’s ‘emergency martial law’ declaration [December 5, 2024]