Prosecutorial Reform Should Not Be Judged by Local Election Pros and Cons, Consensus
Party Decision on 12th at General Assembly... Possible to Handle Within Current Government
Seoul Mayor Candidate to Be Decided by End of April Including Primaries
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The Democratic Party of Korea plans to discuss the prosecution reform measures currently under internal discussion at the upcoming party meeting on the 12th and decide whether to adopt them as the party's official stance.
On the 7th, Yoon Ho-jung, the emergency committee chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on TBS Radio in the morning and said regarding the legislative processing of prosecution reform, "We will have a full discussion on the 12th to decide how to handle this matter," adding, "The key point is to decide the policy on whether to handle this during President Moon Jae-in's term or not."
Chairman Yoon believed that after President-elect Yoon Seok-youl takes office, he could exercise his veto power as president. He said, "For ordinary presidents, it is difficult to arbitrarily exercise veto power against what the people demand. But it seems that he might do so."
He added, "(Processing during President Moon's term) is possible. Almost all related bills have already been submitted."
Regarding the possibility that the People Power Party might block the bill through a filibuster (unlimited debate), he said, "If 180 lawmakers sign a motion to end the debate, it can be concluded."
On the core content of the prosecution reform bills currently handled by the Democratic Party, Chairman Yoon explained, "It is about relinquishing the prosecution's direct investigative authority, especially the authority to initiate investigations, that is, the primary investigative authority," adding, "Since the prosecution first obtained investigative authority in 1953, it has engaged in abnormal practices for 70 years."
When asked by the host if there are lawmakers within the party who oppose the reform, he said, "It is not that they oppose the direction of (prosecution reform), but there are differences in opinion on where to allocate the investigative authority," explaining, "Some believe it should be given to the police, others think a separate investigative agency should be established, and some feel that handling this before the local elections is politically burdensome."
However, he emphasized that although there are differences in views on the prosecution reform within the party, most lawmakers agree that it should not be judged based on the advantages or disadvantages for the local elections, and these differences can be overcome through discussion.
Regarding the closing of applications for metropolitan mayor candidates for the June 1 local elections on the same day, he said that while deciding whether to hold a primary among the applicants is a priority, if that is not feasible, all options including strategic nominations will be kept open.
Regarding the Seoul mayoral nomination on the day, Chairman Yoon said, "Those who applied for the nomination have priority. Whether to hold a primary among the applicants is the first step," adding that if the number of applicants is insufficient, "a primary could be held between applicants and non-applicants, or a strategic nomination candidate could be decided unilaterally," explaining, "We could have competition with those who did not apply, or designate a non-applicant as a strategic nomination candidate directly." He added, "First, we need to conduct a competitiveness survey and screening by the nomination committee for those who applied by today."
He continued, "Including the primary, we aim to decide (the candidate) by the end of April," adding, "We plan to decide on the method before April 20."
Regarding the role of Senior Advisor Lee Jae-myung, he said, "We plan to discuss and request his role," adding, "We are considering whether he will take a leading role in the campaign committee or support more freely. He will definitely participate in support rallies."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
