The Democratic Party says, "'Chaesangbyeong Special Prosecutor Law' poses no risk of crackdown"... Aiming to shift focus to livelihood issues

Proceeding with Secret Ballot After Veto Exercise
Special Prosecutor Law Supporters Say "Changed Their Minds"
Focus on Resolving Livelihood Issues Through Senior Party-Government Meetings

The People Power Party is expected to recommend that the president exercise the right to request a reconsideration (veto) on the 'Special Prosecutor Act for Sergeant Chae Sang-byeong,' which passed the National Assembly plenary session on the 4th. The special prosecutor act, which has returned to the National Assembly, will be re-voted anonymously and will pass if 8 out of 108 People Power Party members vote in favor. Unlike the 21st National Assembly, some members of the 22nd People Power Party publicly stated their support for the special prosecutor act even before the opening of the session. However, it is understood that the party's internal sentiment has changed due to numerous issues with the newly proposed special prosecutor act by the Democratic Party and the unlimited debate (filibuster). Nevertheless, as the ping-pong between the special prosecutor act and the veto is likely to continue, the People Power Party is expected to lead public opinion through a drive on livelihood policies.

People Power Party floor leader Choo Kyung-ho is arriving at the National Assembly on the 5th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

A senior official of the People Power Party said in a phone interview on the 5th, "We internally expect almost no defections," and added, "Vote management will not be a problem." He conveyed that the opinions of members who supported the special prosecutor act changed after the filibuster. The official said, "After the filibuster, some members publicly expressed that they might have been mistaken." In fact, Representative Kim Jae-seop, who had previously expressed support for the special prosecutor act, participated in the vote on the special prosecutor act the day before and cast a dissenting vote. Through his Facebook, Representative Kim stated, "Even if I agree with the purpose of the special prosecutor act, I cannot agree with the Democratic Party's politically motivated special prosecutor bill." Currently, only Representative Ahn Cheol-soo has publicly expressed support.

The special prosecutor act recommended by a third party is also unlikely to be discussed until the end of this month, when the People Power Party's party convention concludes. However, within the party, it is reported that candidate Han Dong-hoon, who proposed the new special prosecutor act, also prefers to discuss it after the investigation by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Public Officials Corruption Investigation Office, POCO) is completed. Currently, the investigation into the death incident during the search operation for missing Marine Corps Sergeant Chae is ongoing by both the POCO and the police.

However, the ruling party also feels burdened by the ongoing 'special prosecutor act-veto' situation. The People Power Party held a closed-door meeting at the floor leader's office on the morning of the same day to discuss future response measures. Bae Jun-young, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, said in a phone interview that "opposition party members missed the opportunity to question the government," and added, "Just as we have derived specific livelihood issues such as delivery fee support for small business owners, we will continue to discuss livelihood-related policies through high-level party-government meetings."