First Meeting Between Party Floor Leaders Since Taking Office
Cheon Haram: "The Democratic Party Has No Grounds to Refuse"
Proposes Narrower Scope and Minimal Scale for Investigation
Song Eon-seok: "Will Approach Negotiations with a Forward-Looking Attitude"
Song Eon-seok, Floor Leader of the People Power Party, and Cheon Haram, Floor Leader of the Reform New Party, met on the 17th and agreed to jointly promote a special prosecutor bill for the "Unification Church Gate," which has raised suspicions of involvement by the Democratic Party of Korea.
Song Eon-seok, Floor Leader of the People Power Party (left), and Chun Haram, Floor Leader of the Reform New Party, shake hands on the 17th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, to promote a special prosecutor for the "Unification Church Gate." Photo by Yonhap News Agency
During a meeting between the two parties' floor leaders held at the main building of the National Assembly that morning, Cheon Haram stated, "A special prosecutor for the Unification Church case is absolutely necessary," adding, "This case involves illegal collusion between a specific religious group and the political establishment, so a rigorous investigation that spares neither the ruling nor opposition parties is needed."
Cheon Haram continued, "President Lee Jaemyung has even said that unconstitutional and illegal religious organizations should be dissolved. If that is the case, shouldn't the Democratic Party take a more proactive stance and call for a special prosecutor for the Unification Church? If they have nothing to hide, there is neither a reason nor justification to refuse the special prosecutor," he emphasized.
Cheon Haram explained that to prevent the Democratic Party from having any grounds to reject the special prosecutor, controversies regarding the scope of the investigation, the right to recommend the special prosecutor, and the scale of the investigation must be minimized.
He further stated, "For a thorough investigation that does not spare the Lee Jaemyung administration or either party, the recommendation should come from an opposition party without any allegations related to the Unification Church. The only opposition party in the National Assembly that is free from any mention or influence of the Unification Church is the Reform New Party."
He added, "In order to create a special prosecutor that earns public trust and removes any justification for the Democratic Party to refuse, I hope the People Power Party will make a magnanimous decision and allow the Reform New Party to recommend the special prosecutor."
Regarding the scope of the investigation, he said, "The most recent successful case where the ruling party accepted a special prosecutor was the 'Druking Special Prosecutor,' where the scope was clearly defined as illegal opinion manipulation committed by Druking and related organizations. Likewise, the Unification Church special prosecutor should be composed simply and clearly, with contents that the Democratic Party cannot possibly oppose."
He also explained, "Finally, the scale of the special prosecutor should be kept small, similar to the Druking case, to show the public and the Democratic Party that the truth can be revealed without deploying an excessive number of investigators if there is a real crime."
Cheon Haram, floor leader of the Reform New Party (right), is speaking while meeting with Song Eon-seok, floor leader of the People Power Party, on the 17th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, to promote a special prosecutor for the "Unification Church Gate." Photo by Yonhap News Agency
In response to these proposals, Song Eon-seok said, "I will approach the negotiations with a forward-looking attitude."
Song Eon-seok stated, "Looking at previous special prosecutor bills, the Korean Bar Association or the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has often been responsible for recommendations. I believe this is a necessary process for an independent investigation. Rather than having political parties inside or outside the National Assembly get involved, it would be a good alternative to entrust the right of recommendation to legal experts such as the Supreme Court or the Bar Association."
Regarding the investigation's target, he agreed, "It would be appropriate to focus the investigation on circumstances involving the exchange of money or attempts to conceal or downplay such incidents between the Unification Church and the Democratic Party, which is currently the ruling party."
On the scale of the special prosecutor, he said, "Of course, it is necessary to start with the minimum required scale. Above all, what is most important is to launch the special prosecutor as soon as possible. On this point, there is no disagreement between the Reform New Party and the People Power Party."
He added, "We will quickly finalize the detailed practical matters, introduce the special prosecutor bill, and work together to ensure that the Democratic Party passes this bill."
This is the first time since their respective appointments that the floor leaders of the People Power Party and the Reform New Party have met to discuss a current issue.
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