Democratic floor leader also condemns fringe protesters at Jamsil vote-counting center for illegal acts and harassment of police
Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Han Byung-do on Thursday urged the People Power Party to stop exploiting a parliamentary investigation into the ballot shortage that emerged during the June 3 local elections for political ends.
Speaking at a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly that morning, Han said the parliamentary investigation "is not a matter of political advantage or disadvantage."
He urged the opposition to "stop making groundless claims of election fraud and far-fetched arguments for abolishing early voting, and instead join forces on fundamental solutions — finding the root cause and reforming the National Election Commission." He added that the Democratic Party, as the ruling party, "will take full responsibility for the entire process, from uncovering the truth of this incident to punishing those responsible and preventing a recurrence."
The ruling and opposition parties plan to launch substantive top-down negotiations on the scope and methods of the investigation once each party's formal investigation request is reported at a plenary session of the National Assembly on Thursday. Both sides have agreed on the need to proceed with the probe, but remain at odds over details, including its scope.
Han also addressed the protests outside the Jamsil vote-counting center, where demonstrators have refused to accept the election results. He said some protesters' misconduct had caused "significant inconvenience to police officers and nearby residents," adding that officers maintaining order at the scene were reportedly subjected to "frequent indiscriminate harassment, provocation and verbal abuse."
"Violence that tramples on the rights of others can never be justice," Han said, calling for an end to illegal acts at the site.
sunpine@heraldcorp.com
