Ahead of the decision on the Special Investigation Law for Internal Conflict, ruling and opposition parties engage in final public opinion battle: "Special Investigation Show" vs. "Must Fear"

Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance, held a Cabinet meeting on the afternoon of the 31st to discuss the 2nd Special Investigation Law on the Rebellion, while the ruling and opposition parties engaged in a last-minute public opinion battle. The People Power Party (PPP) claimed that the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) was using the special investigation on the rebellion as a 'special investigation show' to advantageously lead the early presidential election situation. On the other hand, the opposition parties including the DPK raised their voices, saying that since the cabinet investigation and search and seizure related to the December 3 emergency martial law were insufficient, the rebellion incident has not ended, and a special investigation is necessary for a proper investigation.

On the morning of the same day, Kwon Young-se, Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee of the PPP, harshly criticized the DPK's demand for the promulgation of the Special Investigation Law on the Rebellion against Acting President Choi at a committee meeting held at the National Assembly, saying, "It is nothing but an unprecedented waste of national power to hold an 'early election special investigation show'." He added, "Even after the investigation and prosecution have ended and the trial has begun, the DPK still does not withdraw its claim for a special investigation," and argued, "It is difficult to understand what more they intend to reveal by spending 11.2 billion won on a special investigation for 100 days." The PPP reiterated its position that Acting President Choi's exercise of the right to request reconsideration (veto) of the Special Investigation Law on the Rebellion, which was unilaterally pushed by the opposition, is natural, and that the necessity of the special investigation has been lost as the indictment and arrest of those involved in the December 3 emergency martial law incident and even President Yoon Seok-yeol have been carried out.

Yonhap News

If Acting President Choi exercises his right to request reconsideration (veto) on the Special Investigation Law on the Rebellion on this day, it is politically perceived that it will be difficult to pass upon reconsideration. The 1st Special Investigation Law on the Rebellion was passed on December 12 last year in the plenary session of the National Assembly with 195 votes in favor, 86 against, and 2 abstentions out of 283 members present. Due to Acting President Choi's veto, the reconsideration vote held on the 8th resulted in 198 votes in favor and 101 against, leading to its rejection. Subsequently, the DPK proposed a revision that allowed the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, rather than the ruling and opposition parties, to recommend special investigation candidates, and reduced the investigation targets from 11 to 6 by deleting charges such as foreign exchange offenses and rebellion propaganda and incitement. However, in the vote on the 2nd Special Investigation Law on the Rebellion held on the 17th, it was passed with 188 votes in favor and 86 against out of 274 members present, showing a decrease in favorable votes.

In response, the DPK insists that a special investigation is necessary to additionally investigate the cabinet, including former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, and to conduct search and seizure in security areas. Moreover, they argue that the 2nd Special Investigation Law on the Rebellion eliminated legal disputes and substantially reflected the demands of the PPP, so there is no reason for veto. They have raised the pressure by threatening to impeach Acting President Choi if he exercises his veto. Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the DPK, said, "If the veto is exercised today, it will be the seventh veto under Acting President Choi's administration and will set a record for the most vetoes by an acting president," adding, "It is second only to Yoon Seok-yeol, the mastermind of the rebellion, who holds the record of 25 vetoes." Park urged, "Acting President Choi repeatedly chooses not to do what he should and only does what he should not. I urge him to accept and promulgate the Special Investigation Law on the Rebellion at today's Cabinet meeting."

Lee Jae-myung, the party leader, and Park Chan-dae, the floor leader, along with other Democratic Party members, visited the Express Bus Terminal in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 24th to greet citizens for the Lunar New Year holiday. Photo by Kim Hyun-min