Democratic Party "Request to Follow National Human Rights Standards"
People Power Party "Message That There Are Issues with the Bill"
Judiciary Committee Subcommittee to Hold Heated Debate This Afternoon
[Asia Economy Reporters Park Jun-yi and Lee Hyun-joo] The ruling Democratic Party, which is pushing for the passage of the so-called 'Complete Removal of Prosecutorial Investigation Rights (Geomsu Wanbak)' bill, and the opposition People Power Party, which is opposing it, each offered self-serving interpretations of the meeting between President Moon Jae-in and Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo held the previous day. Amid the daily escalating standoff between the ruling and opposition parties, the Democratic Party is reportedly planning to submit the bill to the plenary session within this month after passing it through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee subcommittee this week.
Yoon Ho-jung, co-chairman of the Democratic Party’s emergency committee, said on KBS Radio on the 19th that President Moon’s remark to Prosecutor General Kim that "reform should be for the people regardless of the positions of the prosecution and police" was "appropriate, reasonable, and natural." He explained, "It is not about adjusting powers between the prosecution and police, but about how to ultimately protect the rights and human rights of the people, and the president ordered that prosecutorial reform be carried out based on this standard." This interpretation assumes that President Moon agrees with the fundamental purpose of prosecutorial reform and interprets it favorably toward reform. Democratic Party lawmaker Park Joo-min also said on YTN Radio that the president’s words could be understood as an order for the prosecution to "fulfill their duties and respond in an orderly manner."
However, the People Power Party, opposing the bill’s amendment, viewed the meeting itself as containing President Moon’s critical views. Park Hyung-soo, the party’s floor spokesman, pointed out in a phone interview that "the very fact that someone who had resigned is being met again is an indirect message that there is a problem with the bill." The previous day, senior spokesperson Heo Eun-ah criticized President Moon in a statement, saying, "In front of the Democratic Party’s 'Geomsu Wanbak' that aims to create a powerless prosecution, it is unlikely that Prosecutor General Kim risked his position just to hear the nonsensical request to 'fulfill the prosecution’s role.'"
Past midnight the previous day, the ruling and opposition parties continued discussions on the bill by holding a subcommittee meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly. Originally, the Democratic Party planned to pass the bill at the subcommittee meeting that day, but due to opposition from the People Power Party, another subcommittee meeting was scheduled for the afternoon of the 20th.
The ruling and opposition parties clashed over the "need to gather public opinion" at the subcommittee. Yoo Sang-beom, a People Power Party lawmaker, criticized, "Starting late with only subcommittee members gathered without any in-depth discussion involving expert opinions or public sentiment will directly affect the rights of the people." In response, Kim Yong-min of the Democratic Party rebutted, "The separation of prosecutorial investigation and indictment rights has been discussed countless times in the National Assembly, and many discussions have taken place in civil society organizations. The Democratic Party also formed a special committee until last year and discussed it extensively, and we have sufficiently heard opinions from related organizations and institutions." Kim Hyung-doo, head of the Court Administration Office, proposed the opinion that "it is necessary to gather opinions from various sectors and carefully review the new law," leading to heated debate with the Democratic Party side.
The People Power Party also raised fundamental issues with the removal of the prosecution’s investigation rights itself. Floor spokesman Park said, "There is a fundamental problem of whether depriving the prosecution of investigation rights is unconstitutional. This part needs to be thoroughly discussed and decided." In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Ki-sang argued, "Currently, we are in a constitution-violating situation where the basic rights of the people are temporarily restricted because the prosecution holds investigation rights, warrant application rights, and indictment rights."
The Democratic Party aims to pass the bill through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee subcommittee as early as 2 p.m. that day. In response, People Power Party floor leader Kwon Seong-dong appealed at the party’s floor strategy meeting, saying, "I appeal to Speaker Park Byeong-seok not to submit the Geomsu Wanbak bill, which directly violates the constitution," and also urged President Moon to "exercise his veto power."
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