Ahead of 'Chaesangbyeong Special Prosecutor Act' Submission, Ruling Party Says "Speaker Must Represent the People" vs Opposition Says "Yoon Must Accept for Change"

People Power Party "Unilateral Bill Submission Without Agreement"
Democratic Party "Opposition Majority, Strong Warning from Public Sentiment"
Special Prosecutor Bill Submitted, Filibuster Causes Government Questioning Disruption

As the 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act' bill was about to be submitted, the ruling and opposition parties clashed in the National Assembly plenary session on the 3rd. The People Power Party raised concerns about the unilateral submission without agreement, while the Democratic Party of Korea emphasized that submitting the special prosecutor bill was inevitable to resolve suspicions. On that day, the scheduled government questioning was canceled as the People Power Party requested a reasonable parliamentary obstruction (filibuster) following the submission of the special prosecutor bill.

Bae Jun-young, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, said before the submission of the first agenda item in the plenary session, the bill concerning the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate obstruction of investigation and concealment of incidents related to the death of a Marine in the line of duty, "The 22nd National Assembly, which opened a month ago, is simply repeating the reckless behavior of the 21st National Assembly," adding, "Cooperation has disappeared, and legislative recklessness continues. With the formation of the National Assembly without agreement, the first button of the 22nd National Assembly was fastened incorrectly, and the bills pushed by the Democratic Party are passing through the standing committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee without deliberation and in a rush."

Senior Deputy Leader Bae said, "There was no plan to process the bill on the original agenda for June 26 between the senior floor leaders of both parties," and added, "The principle is that special prosecutor bills should be handled for matters not properly dealt with in the judicial system." He continued, "The People Power Party is making every effort to restore the honor of Chae Sang-byeong and to stop his parents from shedding tears," and criticized, "If anyone dares to exploit the death of a young man for political gain, they must immediately stop such disgraceful behavior."

Park Chan-dae, Chairman of the National Assembly Steering Committee, is talking with Bae Jun-young, the ruling party's secretary, at the full meeting of the Steering Committee held at the National Assembly on the 1st. This Steering Committee meeting marked the first attendance of presidential office aides, including Secretary General Jeong Jin-seok, since the opening of the 22nd National Assembly. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

He then addressed Speaker Woo Won-shik, saying, "Please represent the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, not just one party," and added, "The agreement between the two major parties for the June extraordinary session was made under the People Power Party's magnanimous concession and sacrifice to normalize the National Assembly, create a working parliament that is not shameful to the people, and uphold the traditions and practices of the legislature. However, this agenda has been raised today." He continued, "By submitting it as the first agenda item, the government questioning was effectively nullified," and criticized, "The Speaker, who should remain neutral, ignored parliamentary customs by submitting a bill forcibly passed by the opposition party to the plenary session for government questioning."

Senior Deputy Leader Bae urged, "Mr. Speaker, please maintain neutrality so that the National Assembly can operate based on bipartisan agreement," and said, "Please become the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, not the Speaker for the Democratic Party. Please keep your balance so that the National Assembly can be a place where the ruling and opposition parties engage in dialogue and compromise."

On the other hand, Park Sung-jun, the senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized, "The basic stance of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is wrong," and stressed, "For President Yoon Seok-yeol and the presidential office to change, they must accept the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act."

[Yeouido Interview] Park Sung-jun, Democratic Party member. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Deputy Leader Park criticized by referring to former President Park Geun-hye and said that the results of this general election must be accepted. He said, "In 2016, as you well know, during the Park Geun-hye administration, the Democratic Party was given 123 seats, the predecessor of the People Power Party, the Saenuri Party, was given 122 seats, and the People's Party was given 38 seats as a warning in the 2016 election, but President Park did not heed public sentiment and fell," adding, "In the 2024 general election, the opposition party was given a majority for the first time, strongly warning the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. I thought the Yoon administration would accept public sentiment once, reach out to the opposition, and consider cooperation, but that is not the case."

Deputy Leader Park said, "I sincerely hoped that a figure (President Yoon) who is not a political insider would come in, balance things, and lead our country from being a top 10 power to a top 5 power," and added, "But one day, President Yoon appeared using the character for 'king' (王)." He continued, "A president who dialogues with history must transcend issues related to himself to be recognized as a true leader by the people," and emphasized, "The Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act in the 22nd National Assembly has legitimacy and justification, and the People Power Party members must accept it for progress to be made."