United Future Party: "The Corruption Investigation Office Act Must Be Properly Revised... Let's Hold a Full Judiciary Committee Meeting"

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, and Joo Ho-young, Floor Leader, along with other committee members, are attending the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The United Future Party raised their voices at a plenary session, stating that the law regarding the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (Gongsoocheo) needs to be revised.

On the 13th, the United Future Party's Judiciary Committee members held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office, saying, "The ruling party, which forcibly passed the Gongsoocheo establishment law, now says it will forcibly establish the unit as well." This came in response to the Democratic Party of Korea selecting two candidates for the ruling party's Gongsoocheo chief recommendation committee.

The Judiciary Committee members stated, "(The Gongsoocheo law) has more than just one or two legislative issues that need to be supplemented," and added, "It is not too late to properly revise the law after observing the Constitutional Court's ongoing unconstitutionality review. To properly revise it, the ruling party should no longer ignore our demand to hold a full Judiciary Committee meeting."

They pointed out, "Democratic Party lawmaker Baek Hye-ryun has already proposed amendments to the National Assembly Act and the Personnel Hearing Act, which pressure the opposition to recommend candidates, as well as the operating rules for the candidate recommendation committee," and added, "If the opposition does not submit the list of recommended members by the deadline set by the Speaker of the National Assembly, the right to recommend will be taken away and given to the negotiation group designated by the Speaker."

They continued, "This means giving the ruling party-affiliated Speaker the authority to urge the opposition to recommend members," and added, "Furthermore, Choi Kang-wook, who is known as the ruling party's second faction representative, even argues that 'extraordinary measures should be considered to transfer the recommendation right to opposition non-negotiation groups.'"

The Judiciary Committee members criticized Gongsoocheo as a "new regime protection unit," stating, "(The Gongsoocheo law) contains numerous unconstitutional elements, yet the ruling party has no intention of revising it," and criticized, "Even before its launch, the power holders of this government have already designated Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl as the first investigation target."