A clash at the plenary session is expected as soon as Chuseok ends
Opposition: “Yoon’s veto again? Public opinion has changed”… 4 state affairs investigations, including control of broadcasting, also underway
With opposition to “impeachment build-up for the president”… Considering boycott, filibuster, and other responses
The ruling and opposition parties are expected to clash head-on over the so-called “dual special prosecutors’ law (Kim Gun-hee Special Prosecutor’s Law, Chae Sang-byung Special Prosecutor’s Law)” and the “Act on the Promotion of the Use of Local Love Gift Certificates (Local Currency Act)” at the plenary session of the National Assembly held on the 19th, immediately after the Chuseok holiday. The Democratic Party of Korea is determined to push through the plenary session on the 19th, as the special prosecutor’s law, which was supposed to be passed before Chuseok, fell through once. In response, the People Power Party is protesting, saying, “This is a stumbling block to state administration and a build-up to the impeachment of the president,” and is considering boycotting the plenary session and filibustering as countermeasures.
● Opposition: “The people’s order is a special prosecution of Kim Gun-hee”
On the 18th, Democratic Party Senior Supreme Council Member Kim Min-seok held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, “The biggest topics of conversation at the holiday dinner table this year were the ‘medical crisis’ and ‘anger’ (directed at President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife’s illegal acts),” and “Based on the solid ‘public sentiment for a change of government,’ the Democratic Party will process the local currency law, the Chae Hae-byeong Special Prosecutor’s Act, and the Kim Kun-hee Special Prosecutor’s Act immediately after the holiday and take the path to a change of government.” When asked, “Even if the three bills are passed, won’t the president exercise his right to demand reconsideration (veto) again?” Kim answered, “Even if the same thing happens again, the (public opinion) soil and environment have changed. How difficult a path will it be for the president, whose approval rating has entered the 20% range, to veto them in the same way?” The Kim Gun-hee Special Prosecutor Act included eight investigation targets, including stock price manipulation, suspicions of Dior bag bribery, suspicions of external pressure on the National Human Rights Commission investigation, lobbying to save Lim Seong-geun, and suspicions of intervention in the 22nd general election nomination. The Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act required that when the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court recommends four special prosecutor candidates, the Democratic Party and non-negotiating groups would narrow it down to two, and the president would appoint one. The Local Currency Act is a bill that mandates the state and local governments to provide financial support for local currencies.
The Democratic Party has asked its members to stand by near the National Assembly until the 22nd, considering the possibility that the People Power Party will begin a filibuster to block the special prosecutor’s bill starting on the 19th. According to the National Assembly Act, if more than three-fifths of the members present agree 24 hours after the start of the filibuster, the debate can be forcibly ended.
The Democratic Party also plans to push for four state investigations during the regular session, including the “Chae Private First Class’s death,” “suspicion of preferential treatment on the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway,” “control of broadcasting,” and “suspicion of East Sea oil field development.” A party leadership official explained, “If People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon fails to submit a special prosecutor’s bill containing a “third-party recommendation,” and the special prosecutor’s bill is scrapped this time due to the president’s veto, the opposition party will have greater justification to push for the related state investigations on its own.”
● “Considering filibuster and non-attendance at plenary session”
The People Power Party sees the Democratic Party’s plan to force through the special prosecutor’s bill as an attempt to disrupt state administration and lower the ruling party’s approval rating. A People Power Party floor member criticized, saying, “In the long term, they are calculating the impeachment of the president.”
The People Power Party is considering a plan to launch a filibuster if the Democratic Party pushes through the three bills. A People Power Party official said in a phone call, “We are considering a plan to delay the processing of the bills through a filibuster and engage in a public opinion war.”
However, there is also a sense of caution within the party. A ruling party lawmaker said, “There is considerable concern within the party about how effective the filibuster is as a countermeasure,” and “There is also concern that the filibuster could expand the opposition party’s lead rather than spreading public opinion against it.” The People Power Party plans to hold a general meeting of lawmakers before the plenary session on the 19th to make a final decision on whether to conduct a filibuster. If the filibuster is not conducted, it is expected to boycott the plenary session.
Reporter Ahn Gyu-young [email protected]
Reporter Lee Sang-heon [email protected]
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2024-09-19 03:50:16