Minor Parties Ahead of General Election, Democratic Party 'Keeps Distance'... Race to Secure Special Prosecutor Act

Emphasizing Principled Actions Amidst Dominant Parties
"Let Us Raise Our Voices"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] As the National Assembly has already entered 'general election mode,' various minor parties are focusing on securing key issues. In particular, parties are competing to take a clear stance on the push for a special prosecutor law concerning Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and First Lady Kim Geon-hee, which has recently become a contentious issue in the political sphere.

According to political circles on the 15th, the Justice Party has formalized the proposal of a '50 Billion Club Special Prosecutor' bill in relation to the first trial acquittal of former People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Sang-do on charges of a 5 billion won bribe. Earlier, the Democratic Party of Korea pushed for a 'double special prosecutor' including the Daejang-dong special prosecutor and the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor, and the Justice Party prepared a draft bill ahead of this to secure the issue first. Unlike the Democratic Party, which covers cases related to the Daejang-dong scandal such as the 'Busan Savings Bank illegal loans,' the Justice Party distinguished itself by limiting the scope to those involved in the 50 Billion Club.

The Justice Party’s emphasis on an 'independent path' is interpreted as connected to the rising demand for party reform within the party ahead of the general election. The Justice Party has long faced criticism for being labeled as the 'Democratic Party’s second squad,' failing to express its own color and voice as a third progressive party. After poor results in last year’s local elections, the Justice Party announced plans to pursue reorganization and innovation this year ahead of the general election. It is reported that such opinions were gathered during the party’s internal lawmakers’ workshop held on the 10th and 11th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

A Justice Party official explained in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the day, "Since the Justice Party has only six seats, even if we propose a bill, there are many cases where we cannot meet the requirement of 10 members to propose it." He added, "There are aspects of shrinking back for various reasons, but we should no longer set limits on ourselves and raise our voices."

However, even if the special prosecutor law is proposed to secure the agenda, there are practical limitations such as failing to meet the required number of lawmakers’ consent (10 or more). The official added, "Of course, when proposing the special prosecutor bill, there are practical issues such as how to gather the participating lawmakers and how to get the bill passed." The Democratic Party has yet to take a position on whether to join the special prosecutor bill, stating that "more time is needed."

Recently, the Justice Party has also distanced itself from the Democratic Party by mentioning the parliamentary immunity of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. On the day, Justice Party leader Lee Jeong-mi said on MBC Radio’s 'Kim Jong-bae’s Focus' program, "If he (Lee Jae-myung) has gone through processes to completely clear the suspicions, rather than having controversies over whether to process the arrest consent bill in the National Assembly, it would be better for both the Democratic Party and Lee Jae-myung himself to say, 'I will confidently face the substantive review.'"

Another non-negotiating party, the Transition Korea Party, is also preparing strategies to secure the agenda. Lawmaker Cho Jeong-hoon of Transition Korea has previously expressed his stance on the Daejang-dong special prosecutor and the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor. He proposed pushing for the Daejang-dong special prosecutor after the resignation of leader Lee Jae-myung and expressed opposition to the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor, showing a distinct conviction from the two major parties. Since the designation of the special prosecutor bill as a fast-track requires the consent of 11 members of the Judiciary Committee, Lawmaker Cho is considered a casting vote.

An official related to the party’s strategy explained, "We want to push forward with conviction regardless of pros and cons," adding, "Then it might be an opportunity to approach the public amid the speakers of the two major parties. Let’s raise the voices we can."