“Vote on the 16th remains unchanged”
“We will discuss if the ruling party presents a special prosecutor bill”
On the 15th, lawmakers from the National Assembly’s Legislative and Judiciary Committee, including Park Beom-gye of the Democratic Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, regarding the special prosecutor bill related to sedition. [Yonhap]
[Herald Economy = Park Ja-yeon and Moon Hye-hyun] On the 15th, opposition party lawmakers from the National Assembly’s Legislative and Judiciary Committee stated, “We must vote on the special prosecutor bill related to sedition on the 16th.” They criticized, “If the People’s Power party intends to propose a special prosecutor bill, we are open to discussions, but it is very clear they are simply stalling for time.”
The opposition lawmakers (from the Democratic Party and the People’s Innovation Party) emphasized during a press conference at the National Assembly that it is meaningless to debate individual issues and that “the People’s Power party must now propose a bill.”
They pointed out the situation where the ruling party is not cooperating even though a revised special prosecutor bill, from which the government’s reasons for veto have been removed, has already been proposed. Opposition Secretary Park Beom-gye of the judiciary committee remarked, “The success of a special prosecutor depends on the capability and will of the prosecutor. I don’t understand why the People’s Power can’t trust a special prosecutor recommended by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.” He added, “A significant portion of the objectivity and fairness of this special prosecutor has been conceded by the opposition, but not agreeing to this indicates there’s no intention of having a special prosecutor.”
Park emphasized the necessity for the special prosecutor to be launched promptly to function efficiently. He stated, “While the possibility of the special prosecutor passing tomorrow is very high, even if Acting President Choi Sang-mok does not exercise veto power, he could withhold proclamation until the 5th of next month. If execution of arrest proceedings takes place today, and if both the Corruption Investigation Office and the prosecutor’s office take ten days each, it won’t be possible to indict by the 5th of next month. In that case, the special prosecutor can’t pursue dual indictments, raising the fundamental issue of what the investigation can cover.”
However, he mentioned there is still room for discussion if the ruling party proposes a special prosecutor bill. Deputy Floor Leader Kim Yong-min of the Democratic Party remarked, “If the People’s Power party submits a special prosecutor bill, it will be acknowledgment of the insurrection they have denied, which could signal a change in the situation, leading us to engage in discussions.” He added, “There is no significance if there is no proposal; discussions will commence once a proposal is submitted. Regardless of the bill proposal, we will proceed with the vote tomorrow.”
Kim also touched on the government’s statement about not opposing the special prosecutor bill. He noted, “During the judiciary committee meeting, the vice minister acting as Minister of Justice mentioned they would essentially not suggest exercising the veto. The three reasons for vetoing the bill have been resolved in this draft.”