Kim Min-seok et al. “Prior consent of the National Assembly during martial law”
Even within the party, there are concerns about “baseless politics of fear”
With “Lee Jae-myung’s spring, not Seoul’s spring”
Strong criticism of “Lee’s dilution of judicial risk”
The Democratic Party of Korea has proposed the so-called “Martial Law Pretense Coup Prevention Act” (Martial Law Act, State Compensation Act) to strengthen the requirements for declaring martial law. While concerns continue within the party that “there is no clear basis for the possibility of martial law,” they have gone so far as to revise the law based solely on suspicion. The People Power Party is opposing this, saying that it is “like making a law based on a conspiracy theory,” so the controversy is expected to continue.
● “If it is not an exhibition, prior approval from the National Assembly is required”
On the 20th, Democratic Party Supreme Council members Kim Min-seok and Kim Byung-joo, Rep. Park Seon-won, formerly the First Vice Director of the National Intelligence Service, and Rep. Boo Seung-chan, formerly the Ministry of National Defense spokesperson, held a press conference at the National Assembly and announced, “The legal and institutional devices to prevent martial law in the form of a coup are insufficient,” and “We will fundamentally block the seeds of public anxiety and the possibility of martial law through legal revisions.” They also said, “In order to eliminate the source of the conspiracy to prepare for martial law, we demand the dismissal of the female commander of the Armed Forces Counterintelligence Command, who is at the core of the disruption of military discipline.” The martial law revision bill they are proposing requires that, except in times of war, a majority of the National Assembly members present must consent in advance with the attendance of a majority of the members present. It also stipulates that even if the president declares martial law, the National Assembly must obtain post facto consent within 72 hours, and includes a provision that allows members of the National Assembly who are detained as criminals during the declaration of martial law to participate in the vote to lift martial law. The National Compensation Act imposes an obligation on the state and local governments to compensate for damages incurred to others in the process of obstructing the National Assembly’s authority to lift martial law.
The Democratic Party plans to push forward the two bills as party positions. After the press conference, Supreme Council member Kim Min-seok met with reporters and said, “We have shared the content with key leaders, including Representative Lee Jae-myung and Policy Committee Chairman Jin Seong-jun,” and “We will make it a party position as a key bill for the Democratic Party and do our best to pass it (at the plenary session).”
The Democratic Party has been on the offensive for a month since Supreme Council member Kim Byung-joo raised suspicions about martial law during the party convention on the 18th of last month. Representative Lee also publicly mentioned martial law during a meeting with People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon on the 1st, saying, “The topic of martial law keeps coming up.”
However, there are concerns within the party that it is spreading politics of fear without solid evidence. A key party official said, “If we continue to drag out the suspicion of martial law, major issues such as the Kim Kun-hee special prosecutor law could be buried,” and “If it drags on without conclusive evidence, it could backfire.”
● Opposition to “Lee Jae-myung’s judicial risk, dilution”
The People Power Party objected to the Democratic Party’s introduction of their martial law amendment bill as the “Seoul Spring” law, saying, “Isn’t this not ‘Seoul Spring’ but ‘Lee Jae-myung’s Spring’?” The People Power Party members of the National Assembly Defense Committee held a counter-press conference that day and criticized, “There is no citizen who does not know that the ‘real’ guard for ‘Lee Jae-myung’s Spring’ is a coup d’état under the pretext of martial law,” and “The Democratic Party’s martial law instigation is aimed at preventing the bankruptcy of the Democratic Party that will lead to the trial of Representative Lee and the build-up to the impeachment of the Yoon Seok-yeol government.” They took issue with the Democratic Party’s failure to present specific evidence, asking, “They say, ‘The first private organization meeting within the military since Hanahoe and Aljahoe was discovered and held a secret meeting,’ but who on earth is said to have held a secret meeting? Why are you slandering them while not proudly mentioning who it is?”
People Power Party senior spokesperson Kwak Gyu-taek also said, “Going beyond simple suspicions to announcing a revision to the law is no different from declaring that they will continue the politics of conspiracy theories and ghost stories,” adding, “This is merely a breakthrough to dilute Representative Lee’s judicial risk that will soon become a reality, and an expression of impatience.”
Reporter Yoon Myeong-jin [email protected]
Reporter Choi Hye-ryeong [email protected]
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2024-09-20 20:07:18