Jo Eung-cheon "Double standards... Trust damaged"
Kang Hoon-sik "Frequent prosecution by prosecution... Difficult to apply every time"
The Democratic Party's Political Innovation Committee (Innovation Committee) is reportedly considering a plan to delete Article 80 of the party constitution, which suspends the duties of party officials indicted on charges of corruption. This move is interpreted as a strategic measure to preemptively block debates over the position of Representative Lee Jae-myung if he is indicted, sparking controversy.
On the 15th, Jang Kyung-tae, head of the Political Innovation Committee, stated through SBS, "We plan to comprehensively review and organize various provisions, including Article 80 of the party constitution, focusing on clauses that hinder progress or are redundant."
Article 80, Paragraph 1 of the Democratic Party constitution states that "the duties of party officials indicted on charges related to corruption, such as bribery and illegal political funds, may be suspended immediately upon indictment." However, Paragraph 3 of Article 80 includes an exception clause that allows for alternative measures through a resolution of the Party Affairs Committee (Party Affairs Committee) if it is recognized that there are unjust reasons such as political oppression.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is accused of making false statements during the presidential election process, is attending the first trial held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 3rd. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
Article 80 of the party constitution was already controversial once after the Democratic Party's national convention last August, just before Representative Lee's inauguration. At that time, supporters of Representative Lee demanded through the party member petition system that "Article 80 of the party constitution be completely deleted," and the need for revision was raised within the party, leading to discussions.
However, criticism arose both inside and outside the political circle, labeling it as "a shield for Lee Jae-myung," and some factions within the party, including the non-Lee faction, opposed it, saying "the provision should not be for a specific individual."
At that time, it was decided to maintain Paragraph 1 of Article 80 and only revise Paragraph 3, which stipulates the relief measures. The authority to judge unjust reasons such as political oppression was changed from the existing Ethics Tribunal to the Party Affairs Committee (chaired by the party leader).
If the party again pushes for the deletion of Article 80 of the party constitution at this point, when Representative Lee is likely to be prosecuted over the Daejang-dong corruption allegations, the controversy over shielding Representative Lee is expected to intensify.
On the 16th, Representative Cho Eung-cheon criticized in an interview with CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show," saying, "(The discussion to delete Article 80) is a case of double standards," and pointed out, "When Moon Jae-in was the leader, he said 'Our party will be reborn like this,' but the party constitution made then is not properly applied." He also targeted the Innovation Committee, saying, "Honestly, trust within the party is currently greatly damaged."
On the other hand, there is also an opposing view that unreasonable regulations should be revised in a situation where prosecutors frequently indict sitting lawmakers. Representative Kang Hoon-sik said on SBS Radio's "Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show," "Excessive searches, investigations, and even indictments based solely on testimony by the prosecution are too frequent," adding, "When you apply this one by one, it is judged to be a very unnecessary regulation, so (the Innovation Committee) probably reviewed this."
Representative Kang added, "The case of Representative Lee falls precisely under the exception in Paragraph 3 of Article 80," and “The Innovation Committee is not reviewing deletion because of Representative Lee, but rather because of many more sitting lawmakers.”
Meanwhile, Chairman Jang explained regarding the discussion on deleting Article 80 of the party constitution, “The Innovation Committee has received hundreds of various proposals. Not all proposals are necessarily discussed or decided upon,” and added, “(The amendment to the party constitution) will be discussed after the nomination system is finalized to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.”
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