Choo Kyung-ho's First Test, Efforts to Prevent Ruling Party Defection Votes on 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act'

Will Chu's 17 Defections Be Prevented?
Calls and Meetings to Urge Support
Party Predicts "Low Chance of Passage"

Choo Kyung-ho, the floor leader of the People Power Party, is making desperate efforts to prevent dissenting votes on the 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act.' The atmosphere within the party is becoming tense as Rep. Kim Woong, who expressed support for the special prosecutor law, said the day before that "there will be about 10 dissenting votes." It is known that Floor Leader Choo is urging lawmakers to oppose the special prosecutor law through meetings and phone calls.

At an emergency committee meeting held on the 23rd at the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Floor Leader Choo said, "I have doubts from the start whether the Democratic Party intended to wait for the results of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HOCI) investigation," adding, "The fact that the special prosecutor bill was proposed just two days after the HOCI complaint is evidence that they never intended to wait for the HOCI investigation." He criticized, "The Democratic Party has used the Chae Sang-byeong case solely to drive political strife," and said, "Without proper review or a single negotiation, the Democratic Party unilaterally proceeded with the HOCI complaint and the agenda processing." He also expressed regret over National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo's announcement that he would forcibly pass the bill at the plenary session on the 28th. He pointed out, "The ruling and opposition parties have not even discussed the re-deliberation procedure for the special prosecutor law, so the Speaker's declaration to put it on the agenda is an arbitrary operation of the National Assembly."

Chu Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 23rd. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Floor Leader Choo initially intended to adopt opposition to the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act as the party's official stance, but seems to have stepped back amid strong internal backlash. A party insider said, "The floor leader said he would set it as the party stance, but I think they will try to gather opinions at the lawmakers' meeting on the 28th," adding, "If the majority holds that opinion, it might be possible to proceed without adopting it as the party stance."

This vote control on the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act is expected to be Floor Leader Choo's first test after two weeks in office. Although the session will change, it will show how much internal discipline he can enforce against the powerful opposition party. Assuming that all 295 of the 296 members of the 21st National Assembly, excluding one detained member (Yoon Kwan-seok, independent), vote, at least 197 votes, which is two-thirds of the total members, are required for the special prosecutor law to pass. If 17 members from the People Power Party, Liberty Unification Party, and others join the 180 opposition lawmakers from the Democratic Party, Justice Party, and New Future Party, the bill will be finalized as law according to the constitution despite the president's veto.

However, within the party, it is expected that the number will fall short of 17. Rep. Cho Jung-hoon of the People Power Party said on the radio that day, "I absolutely do not think the special prosecutor law for the returning Marine Corps members has the quorum to pass," and analyzed, "The HOCI chief has been appointed, and the HOCI, which was created by the Democratic Party, is diligently investigating. If we have to immediately stop this and send it to a special prosecutor, it means they either do not trust the HOCI created by the Democratic Party or intend to politically exploit the special prosecutor."