Jang Kyung-tae: "Min Hyung-bae's Reinstatement Should Be Handled by This Emergency Committee"

"The Prosecution Normalization Bill Was Adopted as a Unanimous Party Resolution at the Party Meeting"
"It Is Not One Person's Responsibility but All of Ours"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated regarding the reinstatement of Min Hyung-bae, who had left the Democratic Party to pass the prosecution reform bill, known as 'Geomsu Wanbak (complete removal of prosecution investigation rights),' "I recommend that this be handled by the current Emergency Response Committee instead of passing it on to the next leadership."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On this day, Representative Jang wrote on Facebook, "The prosecution normalization bill was adopted unanimously as the party's official stance at the party meeting and went through all parliamentary procedures including the agenda coordination committee, the judiciary committee, and the plenary session," adding, "It was a difficult process for our party, and although challenging, it was a cost that all of us had to bear."

He continued, "We did our best for the normalization of the prosecution through the separation of investigation and prosecution, and among us, Representative Min regarded the era's task of prosecution reform as his mission and did his utmost," emphasizing, "This is not the responsibility of one person but the responsibility of all of us."

He further urged Woo Sang-ho, the chairman of the Emergency Response Committee, regarding Min's reinstatement, saying, "Min's reinstatement is not a reward for sacrifice but a procedure that must be corrected back to its rightful place." Representative Jang said, "Please do not pass this on to the next leadership but handle Min's reinstatement in this Emergency Response Committee."

Min, who was affiliated with the Democratic Party, left the party during the passage of the prosecution reform bill in April and participated as an independent member in the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's agenda coordination committee. The People Power Party criticized this as a 'disguised resignation' and argued that the agenda coordination committee formed in this way was invalid.

Recently, voices of criticism have increased, claiming that Min's reinstatement proposal admits to a cunning resignation. Even within the Democratic Party, ahead of the party convention in August, there are skeptical views regarding Min's reinstatement.

In response, Representative Jang pointed out, "Criticizing a reinstatement application that has not even been officially made is a political framing and a flow that clouds the eyes and ears of the public, which we must move away from."