People Power Party, Secretly Anxious Despite Vote Control on 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act'

Choo Kyung-ho "Only 5 Confirmed Support, Others Unverified" Reveals
Party Meeting Held 1 Hour Before Plenary to Decide Party Stance

The People Power Party took measures on the 28th to crack down on dissenting votes regarding the 'Special Prosecutor Act for Chae Sang-byeong,' which was to be submitted as an agenda item in the plenary session, but they appeared inwardly uneasy. With a total of five incumbent lawmakers publicly declaring their support for the Special Prosecutor Act, there are forecasts that if more votes come out in favor, the impact on the 22nd National Assembly will be considerable.

The leadership of the People Power Party emphasized that, except for lawmakers Kim Geun-tae, Kim Woong, Ahn Cheol-soo, Yoo Ui-dong, and Choi Jae-hyung, who expressed their intention to support the Special Prosecutor Act, there would be no additional favorable votes. After the party floor meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Party Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho told reporters, "No additional voices in favor have been confirmed."

Chu Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 28th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The People Power Party leadership also refrained from commenting on whether to adopt opposition to the Special Prosecutor Act as the party line. The party plans to hold an emergency party members' meeting one hour before the plenary session to discuss whether to establish a party line. Jang Dong-hyuk, the senior party floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, said, "We have never adopted it as the party line," adding, "To adopt it as the party line, members must agree and ratify it. We will have to hold a party meeting."

Since the vote on the Special Prosecutor Act will be conducted by secret ballot, there is a possibility of additional dissenting votes from the People Power Party. The number of lawmakers who will not enter the 22nd National Assembly due to losing their election or not being nominated reaches 58. Lawmaker Kim Geun-tae, who publicly supported the Special Prosecutor Act that day, stated, "As a ruling party lawmaker, I wanted to show the people that I am committed to fairness and common sense."

There is also interest in how much dissenting votes will affect the 22nd National Assembly. Lawmaker Park Joo-min of the Democratic Party of Korea said on MBC Radio that day, "If more than 10 dissenting votes come out, it means that even within the People Power Party, there is recognition of problems regarding this issue, and at the same time, it will be evidence that there are quite a few lawmakers who agree with or are considering the reestablishment of party-government relations and various issues that have been pointed out so far."