'Chaesangbyeong Special Prosecutor Act' Rejected with 111 Votes... Choo Kyung-ho's Vote Control Worked

Fewer Defection Votes Than 5 Publicly Supporting Members
Choo Kyung-ho: "Passing the Special Prosecutor Law is the Start of the Impeachment Train" Crackdown
Uncertainty Grows Over Re-promotion in the 22nd National Assembly

The vote result for the 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act' submitted to the National Assembly plenary session was rejected. Although the detailed results are unknown due to the secret ballot, the fact that defections were minimized has led to evaluations that Chu Kyung-ho, the floor leader of the People Power Party, successfully controlled the votes.

Due to the president's exercise of the right to request reconsideration (veto), the 'Bill on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor for the Investigation of Obstruction and Concealment of the Death of a Marine and Related Matters' submitted to the National Assembly plenary session on the 28th was finally rejected with 179 votes in favor, 111 against, and 4 invalid votes out of a total of 294 votes.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, are greeting each other at the 76th National Assembly Opening Ceremony held at the National Assembly on the 28th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On that day, more attention was focused on the votes against rather than those in favor because signs of defections appeared within the People Power Party. The total number of opposition lawmakers, including the Democratic Party and the Justice Party, was 180, so if 17 defections occurred, the Special Prosecutor Act would have passed. The People Power Party had 113 members, and the total number of ruling coalition lawmakers, including Hwang Bo-seung-hee of the Liberty Unification Party and Ha Young-je, an independent, was 115. Among them, five People Power Party members (Kim Geun-tae, Kim Woong, Ahn Cheol-soo, Yoo Ui-dong, and Choi Jae-hyung) publicly declared their intention to vote in favor.

In response, Chu Kyung-ho, the floor leader of the People Power Party, convened a party meeting before the plenary session and warned that "the passage of the Special Prosecutor Act is the start of the impeachment train," taking steps to crack down on last-minute defections. Tension was palpable at the People Power Party's floor strategy meeting that morning.

In conclusion, the number of votes against was 111, indicating fewer defections than expected. As mentioned earlier, the ruling coalition had 115 members, so even calculating only the five members who publicly declared support as defectors, the number of votes against should have been 110. However, the actual vote count showed only four defections (111 votes against).

Even if some members who publicly declared their intention changed their minds or cast invalid votes, it means that more defections came from the opposition, resulting in votes against the bill.

Regardless of interpretation, Floor Leader Chu concluded the vote on the Special Prosecutor Act with fewer defections than publicly opposed. His position within the party is expected to rise further in the 22nd National Assembly as he controlled the votes until the last moment.

During the plenary session recess, Chu told reporters, "As you have seen, the reconsideration request regarding the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act, which was the first agenda item in the plenary session forced without an agreement on the schedule, was rejected," adding, "After consulting with the members and exchanging many opinions, I expect the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials) to conduct a swift and strict investigation and deliver results."

Since there were minimal defections in the 21st National Assembly, it remains uncertain whether the Democratic Party will be able to pass the Special Prosecutor Act if it reintroduces it in the 22nd National Assembly. A ruling coalition official said, "Doesn't this also mean that 'Yunshim' (President Yoon Seok-youl's intention) still remains within the party?"