Park Hong-geun "People Power Party's Reversal of Agreement, Political Calculation for Local Elections and Confirmation Hearings"

"Not 검수완박 but media uses 검수완박 expression, I want to ask why they do it this way"

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Emergency Measures Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 27th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Park Hong-geun, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly expressed dissatisfaction on the 27th regarding the term ‘Geomsu Wanbak’ (complete removal of prosecution’s investigative authority), which is used in relation to the amendment bills of the Prosecutors' Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act. Park criticized the People Power Party for initially agreeing to a mediation proposal by the Speaker of the National Assembly but then denying it, calling it a political calculation to cover up issues related to local elections and personnel hearings.

Park said, "The term itself (Geomsu Wanbak) is false information," and added, "Newspapers and broadcasts use that as a headline, but it is not Geomsu Wanbak, so I want to ask why they boldly use it that way."

He argued, "The direction is to retrieve investigative authority through two stages, so why is it called Geomsu Wanbak now?" and "The investigative authority over crimes by the police and the Corruption Investigation Office remains, and there is clearly a part that directly investigates objections or complaint cases."

Park also revealed distrust toward the People Power Party, which was a negotiation partner. Regarding the situation where the ruling and opposition parties initially agreed on the Speaker’s mediation proposal but effectively reversed it, he pointed out, "If this issue is continuously raised, it will not only help the local elections but also create a confrontational atmosphere in the National Assembly that allows problematic candidates in the personnel hearing process to be buried, which is a political calculation that benefits them."

Park criticized the attitude of advocating amendments to the Prosecutors' Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act within the scope of the existing mediation proposal during negotiations, while denying the mediation proposal itself outside. He said, "It is unimaginable as a person that intentions and actions can be so different and unpredictable," and added, "If the implementation of the hard-won agreement is not made clear, I will no longer engage in dialogue or compromise with Floor Leader Kwon."

Additionally, Park criticized President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, saying, "He urges breaking the agreement and then tells the party to handle it on their own," and "The strategy of recommending embarrassingly inadequate personnel and hoping that the personnel hearing process is concealed as much as possible to favor the local elections is truly despicable."