Jeon Ju-hye "Forcing the Special Prosecutor Law for Chae Sang-byeong is Political Conflict"... Is 197 Votes Possible for Re-vote 'Support'?

Choo Kyung-ho Sends 'Personal Letter' to Appeal Against Opposition Vote
"Will Not Follow Party Line" Sparks Backlash

With the re-vote on the 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act' scheduled for the final plenary session of the 21st National Assembly on the 28th, political attention is focused on potential defections within the ruling party. The People Power Party maintains its stance that it cannot accept the bill as investigations are currently underway. The party leadership plans to adopt a party line opposing the bill before the re-vote. However, voices opposing the party line have emerged even within the ruling party, leading to speculation that more than 10 defections could occur.

The Human Rights Center, the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, and People's Solidarity held a press conference on the 14th near the Yongsan Presidential Office calling for the reapproval of the Special Prosecutor Act for Chae Sang-byeong and the launch of a national consent petition to the National Assembly. Photo by Yonhap News

Jeon Ju-hye, a member of the People Power Party's Emergency Committee, appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' on the 24th and emphasized that the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act is premature. Jeon stated, "Currently, investigations are ongoing by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the police," adding, "Special prosecutor laws have been enacted when investigations were insufficient. But now, the investigation is underway, and pushing for the special prosecutor is like urging the chef to hurry when the dish is still cooking."

In this context, Jeon pointed out that the opposition's push to forcibly pass the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act appears to be intended to provoke political conflict. She said, "Special prosecutor laws have always been processed through bipartisan agreement," and added, "Considering the upcoming 22nd National Assembly, handling this bill seems too much like a political maneuver. The People Power Party has no choice but to oppose it."

Choo Kyung-ho Sends 'Friendly Letter' Urging Opposition Vote... Kim Woong Reacts, "I Won't Follow Such a Party Line"

Hwang Woo-yeo, Emergency Response Committee Chairman 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 Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Currently, the National Assembly has 295 seats excluding independent lawmaker Yoon Kwan-seok, who is in custody. If all members attend the plenary session, 197 votes, which is two-thirds of the total, are required to pass the bill. The opposition, including the Democratic Party, holds 180 seats, and the People Power Party has 115 seats, so for the special prosecutor bill to pass, it would require all 180 opposition seats plus 17 defections from the People Power Party.

The ruling party is working to prevent defections. The People Power Party is expected to hold a party meeting before the plenary session on the 28th to adopt opposition to the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act as the party line. Choo Kyung-ho, the floor leader of the People Power Party, even sent a friendly letter urging members to vote against the bill to maintain party unity.

In a letter sent to all party members the previous day, Choo stated, "Since the unconstitutional law was passed unilaterally by the opposition without bipartisan agreement, it is only natural for the president to exercise the constitutional right to request reconsideration. However, the Democratic Party is abusing this politically and even talks about impeachment," adding, "We will strongly demand a swift and strict investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office to clarify the parts the public is curious about while upholding law and principles. I ask for your continued support."

However, criticism remains within the People Power Party regarding the decision to adopt opposition to the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act as the party line. Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, strongly opposed this on his Facebook, saying, "A party line should be established to protect the powerless and wronged, risking the party's fate," and added, "I cannot follow such a party line."

"Less than 10 Defections" vs. "Will Re-push in the 22nd National Assembly Even if Rejected"

The first-term winners of the 22nd National Assembly are learning how to use electronic voting on the 21st at the National Assembly plenary session hall. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, predicted that the passage of the 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act' in the National Assembly would not be easy. On the previous day’s MBC News Outside, Yoon dismissed the possibility of 17 defections from the ruling party, saying, "It won't be that many," and added, "The opposition needs to secure more than 197 votes, which is not easy."

However, even if the bill is rejected and discarded in this re-vote, it is expected to be re-pushed in the 22nd National Assembly. The Democratic Party has already declared its intention to reintroduce the bill. There is also speculation that Han Dong-hoon, a former emergency committee member of the People Power Party and considered a 'future power' within the ruling party, could push the bill through to differentiate himself from President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Cheon Ha-ram, a member-elect of the Reform New Party, said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 22nd, "(Former emergency committee member) Han Dong-hoon is labeled as President Yoon Seok-yeol's 'Crown Prince,' and he knows better than anyone that he has no chance in the presidential election," adding, "So he needs to find a point of differentiation from President Yoon, and one of the best points is the Chae Sang-byeong special prosecutor." He further explained, "I think it wouldn't be too difficult for him to rally about 10 People Power Party lawmakers around himself under the banner of truly restoring fairness and common sense."