Speaker Woo postpones submission of special prosecutor bill for Chaesangbyeong and Kim Geonhui
Democrats: "Majority of the public demands special prosecutor for Kim Geonhui"
Hardline party members flood criticism: "Kim Geonhui security chairman"
The ruling Democratic Party's plan to pass the special prosecutor bill concerning Chae Sang-byeong and Kim Geon-hee before Chuseok has been halted. Woo Won-sik, the Speaker of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party, refused to submit the bill to the plenary session, stating that it was a time to minimize conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties during the holiday period and focus on resolving the medical crisis. In response, the opposition leadership strongly protested, and some hardline party members launched harsh criticisms against Speaker Woo.
Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at the party policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 12th, "As massive criminal suspicions accumulate, the name Kim Geon-hee has become synonymous with unfairness and state corruption," adding, "The public’s anger is on the verge of explosion over state corruption worse than that of Choi Soon-sil. The majority of the people are demanding a special prosecutor for Kim Geon-hee." Park’s remarks seemed to reflect his consideration of Speaker Woo’s proposal to delay the special prosecutor bill the previous day, arguing that the special prosecutor investigation into Mrs. Kim, who has become a sanctuary under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, can no longer be postponed.
Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, is speaking at the plenary session held at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
Within the Democratic Party, there is also a sympathetic atmosphere toward Park Chan-dae’s remarks. They did not hide their disappointment that Speaker Woo blocked the special prosecutor bill prepared to meet the public’s demands. A Democratic Party lawmaker said, "Everyone was confused by Speaker Woo’s statement the day before about delaying the special prosecutor bill, wondering if this was the right thing to do," adding, "I even think it is an incomprehensible measure that Speaker Woo delayed the submission of the bill to provide 250,000 won to all citizens."
After the failure to pass the special prosecutor bill that day, criticism was directed at Speaker Woo. Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party and the Judiciary Committee, directly criticized, "Is it not excessive for the Speaker to decide whether to submit or not submit a bill that has already passed the Judiciary Committee based on his personal judgment?" The watermelon debate surrounding Speaker Woo reignited among hardline party members. They launched harsh criticisms such as "Speaker Woo has proven to be a watermelon," "a Speaker who only watches the mood," and "Kim Geon-hee’s security Speaker," pointing out that Speaker Woo, despite being a member of the Democratic Party, is different inside and out.
While accepting the failure to submit the special prosecutor bill to the plenary session before Chuseok, the Democratic Party is strengthening its coalition for impeachment against the Yoon Seok-yeol government. Earlier, some lawmakers from the Democratic Party, the Party for Innovation and Unity, the Progressive Party, and the Social Democratic Party formed the "Yoon Seok-yeol Impeachment Preparation Lawmakers’ Coalition." They announced their intention to prepare for impeachment, including securing the necessary lawmakers to propose the impeachment motion against President Yoon.
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