2024-07-25 00:21:18
[한동훈 與당대표 당선]
After being elected, “A third-party recommended special prosecutor is needed”… If more than ‘8 votes’ are revolted, it could lead to an all-out war
Opposition Party’s ‘Special Prosecutor’s Act’ Also a Spark… Korea Struggling to Logic in Response to “Forced Threat”
“The third-party recommended special prosecutor law that I have proposed is necessary. In a situation where the Democratic Party has revealed its intention to have a special prosecutor for strategic gain, a third-party recommended special prosecutor law is more effective.”
On the 23rd, at the People Power Party’s July 23rd convention, Representative Han Dong-hoon, who was elected as the party leader, said, “I will listen to the party and persuade them through the party’s procedures.” This revealed his plan to push for a special prosecutor’s bill recommending the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a third party that he had announced when he ran for the party leader. However, on this day, the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) faction warned that if Representative Han pushes for the Chae Sang-byung special prosecutor’s bill, “the party could be torn apart.” There is speculation that if the pro-Yoon faction shows differences of opinion between the ‘Chae Sang-byung special prosecutor’ recommended by Representative Han and the ‘Han Dong-hoon special prosecutor’ promoted by the opposition party, it could become a detonator.
Representative Han is faced with the task of resolving the extreme civil war that he experienced with the pro-Yoon faction, led by candidate Won Hee-ryong, during the convention. A party official said, “Representative Han is likely to be divided as he repeatedly clashed with the pro-Yoon faction, such as in the controversy over the revelation of ‘request for cancellation of the prosecution of the National Assembly fast-track (quick processing agenda) conflict case’ during the election and the controversy over ‘ignoring Mrs. Kim Gun-hee’s text messages.’ He has the task of resolving and unifying this.”
● Korea “I will go with everyone who was in conflict”
In his acceptance speech, Rep. Han said, “Former President Park Geun-hye, who lost in the 2007 presidential primary, said, ‘Let’s forget everything that happened during the primary. If we can’t forget it overnight, let’s forget it over a few days. ’” “Those few words were the ones that filled the cracks and sutured the wounds during the intense primary.” When asked, “How will you communicate with pro-Yoon lawmakers?” Rep. Han said, “As a minority party with 108 seats, we can’t go about subtracting this and that,” and “We will go together with everyone we had conflicts with. There will be no political factions such as pro-Yoon or pro-Yoon.”
The pro-Yoon camp has weakened due to the decision of former lawmaker Jang Je-won, who was the center of the early days of the administration, to not run for office, but it is assessed that dozens of incumbent lawmakers still form a force. In this election, pro-Yoon lawmakers from the Yeongnam region supported candidate Won and stood against Representative Han. Since then, there have been continued backlash from pro-Yoon lawmakers over controversies such as “ignoring Kim Kun-hee’s text messages” and “requesting the cancellation of the indictment.” A pro-Yoon re-elected lawmaker said, “When I see Representative Han’s attack on the cancellation of the indictment and his subsequent response, I don’t think we are comrades or members of the same family.”
The pro-Park faction opposing this is relatively small, consisting of about a dozen members from the ‘Han Dong-hoon Emergency Response Committee’ and first- and second-term proportional representatives. However, they are openly supporting Representative Han during the party convention and are showing a close bond. Earlier, during the ‘Kim Gun-hee text message ignoring controversy’, pro-Park faction lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin and others went on the offensive, pointing out ‘true pro-Park’ lawmaker Lee Cheol-gyu as the one behind it.
Within the party, there are concerns that “if the current power, the pro-Yoon faction, and the future power, the pro-Park faction, clash and create a conflict between the pro-Lee and pro-Park factions, they will be mutually destroyed.” The conflict between the pro-Lee (pro-Lee Myung-bak) and pro-Park (pro-Park Geun-hye) began with the 2007 Grand National Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) presidential primary, continued with the pro-Lee faction’s “pro-Park massacre” in the 2008 general election, and the rejection of the Sejong City amendment led by the pro-Park faction in 2010. The conflict reached its peak with the pro-Park faction’s “pro-Lee-Yoo Seung-min massacre” in the 2016 general election, and its aftermath led to the impeachment and dismissal of the president.
● ‘Private Chae-Han Dong-hoon Special Prosecutor’s Act’, the fuse for an all-out war between Han and pro-Yoon
The issue of handling the ‘Special Prosecutor’s Act on Private First Class Cha’ recommended by a third party is likely to be a factor in whether it will develop into an extreme war between the pro- and pro-Yoon factions. This is because the pro-Yoon faction is resolutely opposed to it, saying, “We must not be caught up in the Democratic Party’s impeachment frame.” A senior member of the pro-Yoon faction said, “If Representative Han runs the party alone, beating the drum and janggu, he will face opposition.”
The Democratic Party of Korea is trying to widen this divide. A Democratic Party floor leader said, “We are reviewing a plan to propose a new special prosecutor’s law based on the content proposed by Representative Han and urge Representative Han to keep his promise to process the bill.”
In response, Representative Han said, “Former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung rejected the third-party special prosecutor law that I mentioned,” and added, “Considering this situation, I will discuss it through democratic procedures within the party.” This is interpreted as an attempt to buy time and gather public opinion.
If the ruling party receives more than eight votes that nullify the veto during the National Assembly’s re-vote on the special prosecutor bill, despite President Yoon Seok-yeol’s veto, there is a possibility that the entire ruling party will be divided over responsibility.
If Representative Han and the pro-Yoon faction come into conflict, the pro-Yoon faction may side with the opposition party’s drive for the “Han Dong-hoon Special Prosecution.” The Democratic Party plans to refer the “Han Dong-hoon Special Prosecution Act” to the bill subcommittee at the plenary session of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 24th. Representative Han dismissed this opposition party’s move as “a forced threat.” It has been reported that Representative Han is mulling over the logic of his response to the “Han Dong-hoon Special Prosecution.”
Reporter Cho Kwon-hyung [email protected]
Reporter Lee Sang-heon [email protected]
Reporter Ahn Gyu-young [email protected]
2024-07-25 00:21:18