Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, attended the ceremony for recruiting young innovative talents for the local elections on June 3, held at the National Assembly on the 17th, where he delivered a welcoming speech. [Yonhap News]
On the 17th, regarding the Democratic Party’s announcement of the agreement on the establishment of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SICA) and Prosecution Agency, along with party, government, and presidential office negotiations, Cho Kuk criticized, “Those who led the problematic first and second laws must bear political responsibility.”
Through Facebook, Cho expressed relief that several problematic clauses of the SICA bill, which his party and civil society organizations criticized, were deleted. He said, “The fundamental force that made such revisions possible was the sovereign people,” but noted it was regrettable that the three-stage structure of the prosecution agency remained.
He stated, “Before the final agreement was announced, the two bills were presented twice through party-government-presidential office consultations, but each time they faced strong criticism from the public fighting for prosecutorial reform.” He further criticized that, amidst subsequent final revisions, some Democratic Party lawmakers, politicians, political commentators, and YouTubers showed bizarre behavior by unconditionally supporting the first and second bills and attacking critics as ‘anti-name.’
Cho emphasized the significance of prosecutorial reform as an aspiration deeply rooted in the hearts of the sovereigns within the progressive camp, criticizing a political engineering approach for personal and factional gains. He expressed concern about similar behaviors arising during future reform efforts.
Cho reiterated that those who spearheaded the problematic first and second bills should take political responsibility, arguing that undervaluing the cause of prosecutorial reform and the sovereigns’ aspirations led to internal chaos within the camp.
Previously, Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae held a press conference at the National Assembly on the same morning, announcing that the toxic clauses that caused public concern were removed and revised, and he plans to process the agreement in the plenary session on the 19th.