Sung Il-jong "Let's bundle Lee Sang-jik, Yoon Mi-hyang, Kim Hong-gul, Park Deok-heum for a special investigation"
Jin Joong-kwon "People Power Party must take immediate action"
People Power Party lawmaker Park Deok-heum, who was accused of receiving preferential construction contracts from supervised institutions while serving as a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, is entering the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 21st for a press conference to explain. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] The Democratic Party of Korea is increasing pressure on the opposition party to decisively expel Park Deok-heum, a member of the People Power Party, who is suspected of securing construction contracts worth billions of won from agencies under the jurisdiction of the National Assembly. Even within the People Power Party, voices are emerging that if the allegations against Park are confirmed to be true, appropriate measures commensurate with public outrage should be taken.
Shin Dong-geun, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said in an interview on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 21st, "This is the largest and worst conflict of interest case in the history of the National Assembly, which may violate the Public Officials Ethics Act, the Anti-Corruption Act, and could also constitute a third-party bribery offense," adding, "The People Power Party must promptly take appropriate action," urging the expulsion of Park.
No Woong-rae, another Supreme Council member, said at the Supreme Council meeting the same day, "The People Power Party made a fuss about Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae stepping down over minor issues, but they ignore the huge beam in their own eye," and added, "The total amount of construction payments secured by Park’s family from agencies under the National Assembly’s jurisdiction during his tenure as a lawmaker is as much as 300 billion won. If the People Power Party truly fears the power of the people, it must take firm action to eradicate corruption and wrongdoing."
Lee Won-wook, a lawmaker, emphasized on BBS Radio's 'Park Kyung-soo's Morning Journal,' "We fundamentally need a conflict of interest prevention law, and it is also necessary to prevent lawmakers with conflicts of interest from joining related standing committees in the National Assembly," adding, "Whether it is the Democratic Party or the opposition, stronger measures must be shown to lawmakers who have done wrong."
Lee So-young, a lawmaker, pointed out on YTN Radio's 'Starting New Morning' that the People Power Party should "cut off problematic members first as the right attitude toward the public."
Within the People Power Party, there are also opinions that appropriate internal measures against Park are necessary.
Seong Il-jong, a member of the Emergency Response Committee, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and suggested, "If there is a problem, it would be good to conduct a special investigation including Democratic Party lawmakers Lee Sang-jik, Yoon Mi-hyang, Kim Hong-gul, and Park Deok-heum altogether."
However, Seong said, "Lawmakers Lee Sang-jik and Yoon Mi-hyang from the ruling party also have many issues, but no expulsion procedures are being taken. I see the demand for Park’s expulsion as a political offensive by the ruling party," adding, "It would be good to have a special investigation so that the public can fairly judge whether these suspicions are valid."
Park Soo-young, a lawmaker, also said on YTN Radio's 'Starting New Morning,' "It should be handled in the same way as the case of lawmaker Kim Hong-gul," adding, "He is supposed to explain himself this afternoon; if that is sufficient, it is fine, but if not, our party’s Ethics Committee should investigate. The urgent priority is to clarify what is true and what is false."
Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University, also wrote on his Facebook, "It seems they are hesitating and delaying while watching the situation, but the People Power Party must take immediate action," emphasizing, "There must be a zero-tolerance principle for corruption allegations against affiliated lawmakers. Especially for the opposition party, stricter moral and ethical standards are necessary. Only then can power be properly checked."
Meanwhile, the People Power Party announced on the same day that it would form an emergency special committee within the party to investigate the allegations against Park.
Choi Hyung-doo, the party’s floor spokesperson, said in a verbal briefing, "This special committee will be composed of insiders and outsiders with investigative experience and expertise, including former prosecutors and police officers, as well as experts with policy experience in public procurement and budget management," adding, "We plan to swiftly uncover the truth and take appropriate measures."
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