People Power Party suggests 'Third-Party Recommendation for Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Law'... Democratic Party says "Only Family Grammar for a Year"

Party stance not yet decided
Ruling party leadership leans toward veto power
Democratic Party may discuss after proposal submission

On the 26th, the People Power Party will begin serious discussions on whether to recommend that Han Duck-soo, Acting President and Prime Minister, exercise his veto power to request a reconsideration of the 'Double Special Prosecutor Law (Special Prosecutor Law on Treason and Special Prosecutor Law on Kim Geon-hee).' While there is growing support for recommending the exercise of the veto, some voices are calling for a counterproposal involving a special prosecutor law with a third-party nomination system.

The People Power Party plans to hold a party meeting on the morning of the 26th to gather opinions on the veto of the Double Special Prosecutor Law. So far, no party stance has been established regarding the exercise of veto power on the Double Special Prosecutor Law. Since the deadline for exercising the veto is set for the 1st of next month, the party intends to listen carefully to the opinions of its members before deciding on an official position.

Kwon Seong-dong, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

The Double Special Prosecutor Law under discussion was passed by the National Assembly on the 12th. According to the law, the Democratic Party nominates one candidate for special prosecutor, a non-negotiating party nominates one candidate, and the President appoints one from among them. The People Power Party views the provision allowing only the opposition party to nominate special prosecutors as unconstitutional. Additionally, the Special Prosecutor Law on Kim Geon-hee includes allegations of interference in the nomination and primaries for presidential, general, and local elections targeting virtually all ruling party lawmakers, and the Special Prosecutor Law on Treason explicitly names Acting President Han and cabinet members as 'active participants in criminal acts,' which the party considers poison clauses. Therefore, the People Power Party leadership appears to lean toward recommending the exercise of veto power. A People Power Party floor official said, "The Special Prosecutor Law passed by the National Assembly is full of unconstitutional elements."

In response, some within the People Power Party are calling for a counterproposal to the opposition party, suggesting a special prosecutor law with a third-party nomination system, such as one where the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has the nomination right, similar to the third Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Law that was previously proposed but discarded due to the President's veto. This approach is seen as providing Acting President Han with justification to exercise veto power against the current Special Prosecutor Law, while also removing the poison clauses in the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Law that target the entire ruling party. Ahn Cheol-soo, a People Power Party lawmaker, said on SBS Radio, "I think it is right to revert the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Law to the level of the immediately preceding (third) Special Prosecutor Law. Currently, there are 15 criminal charges, and the opposition party nominates all special prosecutors instead of a third-party special prosecutor. If we revert it to the previous version, I think mutual agreement might be possible."

The Democratic Party stated that regarding the ruling party's internal discussion on a special prosecutor law excluding poison clauses such as third-party nomination rights, actual discussions can only proceed after the People Power Party formally proposes a special prosecutor law. Kang Yoo-jung, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, told reporters after a policy coordination meeting, "For nearly a year, there has only been hypothetical talk about introducing a new special prosecutor law excluding poison clauses after the general election," and criticized, "I think this only serves to amplify suspicions."