Opposition Builds Case for Special Investigation on Kim Yeo-sa through National Audit
Expects 8 Defection Votes via Re-proposal Next Month
The opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, plan to use the first National Assembly audit of the 22nd session next month as a preliminary step to reintroduce the 'Special Investigation Act on First Lady Kim Geon-hee.' The strategy is to build justification for the special investigation law through opposition-led standing committees during the audit period, and then reintroduce the related bill next month to push for its passage in the National Assembly.
Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, expressed his ambition at the plaque unveiling ceremony of the National Assembly audit comprehensive situation room held on the 7th, stating, "We will conduct a 'final audit' to uncover the corruption allegations involving President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife that keep surfacing." The focus will be on key issues related to First Lady Kim, such as the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, the Dior bag bribery case, and allegations of interference in candidate nominations, aiming to pressure the presidential office.
The Democratic Party is expected to use this audit as a barometer for reintroducing the special investigation on First Lady Kim in November. The key factor is how much public consensus can be garnered regarding the allegations against Kim and related parties. The more key witnesses, including Kim herself, refuse to appear, the greater the public distrust will grow, making it difficult for not only the government but also the ruling party to avoid pressure for a special investigation.
If the Kim Geon-hee special investigation law is re-pursued next month as planned, the Democratic Party expects to surpass the threshold for a re-vote in the National Assembly. The 'Kim Geon-hee Special Investigation Act,' which was finally rejected on the 4th, saw 194 votes in favor, 104 against, 1 abstention, and 1 invalid vote out of 300 members present. The Democratic Party was encouraged by the possibility of 4 defections among the ruling party's 108 seats. They believe that if an additional 4 defections occur in the ruling party during the next re-vote, the passage of the Kim Geon-hee special investigation law will be possible. A senior Democratic Party lawmaker said, "The 4 defections in the previous re-vote were an unexpected result and surprising," adding, "There is a growing sentiment within the People Power Party that they can no longer avoid the special investigation."
In fact, even within the People Power Party, there are opinions that considering public opinion, the bill's rejection cannot be guaranteed in the next re-vote. This situation is supported by the recent approval ratings of President Yoon. According to a survey conducted by Realmeter commissioned by the Energy Economy Newspaper from the 30th of last month to the 4th (excluding the holidays on the 1st and 3rd), targeting 1,504 voters aged 18 and over nationwide (with a 95% confidence level and a sampling error of ±2.5 percentage points), President Yoon's positive evaluation of state affairs was 27.9%, remaining in the 20% range for two consecutive weeks following the previous survey (25.8%). (For more details, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.)
Experts also generally agree that it will be difficult for the ruling party to defend the re-vote on the Kim Geon-hee special investigation law in the long term. Professor Shin Yul of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Myongji University analyzed in a phone interview, "There are limits to the People Power Party's defense. Over time, members within the party will judge that they can no longer drag this issue (the Kim Geon-hee special investigation) as they consider the next presidential election and the general election," adding, "It is difficult to be confident that the ruling party can fully defend the special investigation on First Lady Kim."
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