Ruling-opposition standoff deepens over Assembly committee posts, prosecution powers

The ruling and opposition parties remain deadlocked over the formation of National Assembly standing committees. The People Power Party has boycotted the process, saying no agreement on committee assignments has been reached, while the Democratic Party of Korea has been pressing ahead with committee business on its own. The standoff has sharpened as the Democratic Party moves to accelerate legislation stripping prosecutors of their supplementary investigative powers.

Han Byung-do, the Democratic Party's acting leader and floor leader, said at a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly on Thursday that Assembly rules require a plenary session every Thursday and that his party had strongly urged Assembly Speaker Jo Jeong-sik to convene one that day to pass pending livelihood bills. "Because the People Power Party ultimately refused to cooperate in normalizing the Assembly, the livelihood bills the public has been waiting for have again been pushed back," Han said.

Han also said the People Power Party had "swarmed to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chamber on Wednesday, staging a picket protest and holding a press conference at the door to obstruct the proceedings," and had "gone so far as to forcibly attempt to enter the chamber, causing a commotion." He added, "Even if you won't work with us, you shouldn't be obstructing us."

People Power Party floor leader Jung Seok-jun rebuffed that characterization at the supreme council meeting Thursday, saying his party's demand for the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee was not about sharing power. "We are asking for a chance at reasonable debate so the Assembly can deliberate thoroughly and pass legislation in the interest of the public," he said.

Jung also urged the ruling party not to "push through bills recklessly while catering only to its hard-line base," calling instead for careful deliberation to produce better legislation for the public.

The two sides also remain at an impasse over the Democratic Party's push to abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigative powers. The party has designated the Legislation and Judiciary Committee as the vehicle for a full abolition. Democratic Party lawmaker Park Gyun-taek said on KBS Radio on Thursday that eliminating the powers was "of course a matter of principle," but added that the party was "carefully reviewing how to prevent the side effects that could arise from abolition."

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok warned at the supreme council meeting that "victims who cannot even seek relief in a world without supplementary investigative powers will be completely devastated," and said the recent rape and murder of a high school girl by Jang Yun-gi had again demonstrated how critical prosecutors' supplementary investigations are.

Jang added that "dismantling the prosecution and stripping it of supplementary investigative powers would ultimately create a paradise for criminals," warning that "the tears of the wronged will gather into a massive wave."