Young Politicians Criticizing 'Geomsu Wanbak' and 'Jung Ho-young Resignation,' Will Party Atmosphere Change?

Democratic Party's 'Complete Prosecution Reform' Party Line, but Park Ji-hyun Warns "Prioritizing Speed May Lose Direction"... Emphasizes Speed Adjustment
People Power's Kim Yong-tae Also Criticizes Jeong Ho-young Over 'Child Favoritism' Allegations, "Please Decide on Your Position"
Youth Politicians Becoming Internal Critics... Playing a Role in Self-Correction?

Park Ji-hyun, Co-Chair of the Emergency Response Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 18th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Attention is focused on whether the internal dynamics of the party will change as young politicians voice criticisms that differ from the party line. Regarding the "Complete Removal of Prosecutorial Investigation Rights" ('Geomsu Wanbak'), which the Democratic Party of Korea has adopted as party policy and launched a full-scale offensive on, Co-Chair of the Emergency Committee Park Ji-hyun is calling for adjustments in direction and pace. Meanwhile, Kim Yong-tae, a young politician from the People Power Party, has urged the resignation of Jeong Ho-young, the nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, amid allegations of preferential treatment for his children.

Co-Chair Park has been repeatedly calling for "pace adjustment" regarding 'Geomsu Wanbak.' The 'Geomsu Wanbak' bill separates the prosecution's investigation and indictment rights. Since December 2019, starting with the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (Hugae Gongsoocheo, or Hugae), the Democratic Party has been pushing reforms to decentralize and check the prosecution's powers.

Subsequently, the Democratic Party passed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors' Office Act in 2020, limiting the prosecution's direct investigations to six major crimes (corruption, economic crimes, public officials, elections, defense projects, and major disasters). If the current 'Geomsu Wanbak' bill passes, the prosecution's investigation rights for the remaining six major crimes will be transferred to the police, and the prosecution's authority to request warrants will also be restricted.

The Democratic Party explains that 'Geomsu Wanbak' aims to normalize the prosecution, which is showing political collective behavior, but some in the legal and academic circles criticize it citing "procedural legitimacy" and "investigation gaps." On the 12th, the Korean Bar Association issued a statement criticizing, "Unilaterally pushing extreme 'Geomsu Wanbak' has no justification, does not align with the public interest, and is likely to cause a significant gap in the criminal justice system for a considerable period."

Despite such opposition, on the 15th, the Democratic Party submitted amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors' Office Act to the National Assembly, effectively abolishing the prosecution's investigation rights, under the names of all 172 party members.

As criticism of "legislative dictatorship" arises amid the Democratic Party's push for 'Geomsu Wanbak,' Co-Chair Park has voiced criticism toward the party, saying, "The method and timing need further discussion." On the 12th, Park said, "Prosecutorial reform must be done, but the method and timing need to be discussed sufficiently. Today, I will present a minority opinion rather than the majority. I gathered courage because someone had to speak."

Later, on the 19th, appearing on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus," he said, "I am not concerned about prosecutorial reform itself. The separation of police and prosecution investigation rights is ultimately the path we must clearly take and must be vigorously pursued," but he emphasized pace adjustment, saying, "I worry that in prioritizing speed, we might lose direction."

Kim Yong-tae, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party [Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Yong-tae, a young politician from the People Power Party, also raised his voice urging Jeong Ho-young, the nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, who is under suspicion of preferential treatment for his children, to "make a decision on his position." At the party's Supreme Council meeting on the 18th, Kim said, "Even if there was no active illegal act, looking at the process of his children's transfer and Jeong's career path, it is difficult to easily accept from the general public's perspective." As suspicions surrounding Jeong have been raised one after another, public opinion has drawn parallels to the "second Cho Kuk incident," prompting Kim to be the first to call for resignation.

Regarding this, on the 19th, Kim appeared on YTN Radio's "News King Park Ji-hoon" and explained, "Many citizens felt relative deprivation watching the Cho Kuk incident, and within the Democratic Party, they were busy defending former Minister Cho Kuk without considering the public. The People Power Party, having been the opposition for five years, thought it should learn from the Democratic Party as a negative example, and many citizens have high hopes for fairness and common sense in the Yoon Seok-yeol government. I wanted to speak to ensure these hopes continue."

Although there are criticisms that young politicians voicing opinions different from the party line create "discord," some evaluate that these challenges, conscious of public opinion, are actually fostering internal self-purification. Former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun expressed support on her Facebook on the 15th, saying, "I support the courageous remarks of Park Ji-hyun, the Democratic Party's Emergency Committee Co-Chair," and added, "Now is the time for calm response rather than speed."

Along with Kim's remarks, other People Power Party lawmakers have also expressed opinions favoring voluntary resignation. On the 18th, Representative Ha Tae-kyung appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" and said, "Even if it feels unfair, voluntary resignation is the right thing to do." On the same day, Professor Kim Geun-sik of Kyungnam University, who served as the head of the Strategy and Vision Office for Yoon Seok-yeol's presidential campaign, posted on Facebook, advising, "President-elect Yoon should handle the Jeong nominee issue with a spirit of 'eupchammasok' (sacrificing a part for the whole) for the successful launch of the new government."