Democratic Party's Aggressive Push for 'Han Myeong-sook Reinvestigation'... A Double-Edged Sword in Corruption Investigation Office Negotiations

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The Democratic Party of Korea has been continuously pointing out problems in the prosecution's investigation related to former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's illegal political funds case and is urging for a reinvestigation. There is an analysis that this is intended to create a justification for the upcoming launch of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HOCI). However, there are also concerns that such moves could become an obstacle in negotiations with opposition parties regarding the establishment of HOCI.

On the 22nd, the Democratic Party once again emphasized the need to reinvestigate the former Prime Minister Han's case. Seol Hoon, a senior member of the Democratic Party, appeared on a radio show that day and said, "Reinvestigation is necessary," adding, "The prosecution tried every possible threat and inducement to convict former Prime Minister Han, and the judiciary followed suit. This is also the reason why prosecution reform emerged."

Currently, within the Democratic Party, two options are being discussed as ways to restore former Prime Minister Han's honor: filing for a retrial and investigation by HOCI. The legal community generally views filing for a retrial as difficult. Under the current Criminal Procedure Act, the grounds for retrial are strictly limited to cases such as evidence being forged or altered, or when testimony or expert opinions used as evidence in the original judgment are proven false by a final ruling. In particular, the memorandum of the late Han Man-ho, former CEO of Hanshin Construction, which fueled calls for reinvestigation, was already used as evidence in previous trials and is generally considered insufficient grounds for a retrial.

This is also why the Democratic Party places more weight on an investigation by HOCI rather than filing for a retrial. Earlier, Park Jumin, a senior member of the Democratic Party, mentioned the possibility of HOCI investigation regarding former Prime Minister Han's case, saying, "Legally, it falls under HOCI's investigation targets. Since HOCI will have independence, it depends on HOCI's judgment."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, there are internal criticisms that the party might be pushing the "Han Myeong-sook issue" too hard ahead of negotiations between ruling and opposition parties on the establishment of HOCI. Instead of persuading, it is said to be increasing opposition party backlash. A Democratic Party lawmaker said, "While we sympathize with former Prime Minister Han's wrongful suffering, it is not appropriate to use past cases for the establishment of HOCI," adding, "We need to consider whether it is appropriate to present investigation matters to HOCI, which has not even been established yet."

Originally scheduled to launch in July, HOCI's establishment has become uncertain as follow-up bills such as amendments to the National Assembly Act and the Personnel Hearing Act failed to pass in the 20th National Assembly. Even if the Democratic Party, holding 177 seats, pushes through follow-up bills by numbers in the 21st National Assembly, the challenge of persuading opposition parties remains. This is because the United Future Party obtained both candidate recommendation committee seats that could nullify the ruling party's sole recommendation of the HOCI chief candidate. If the two committee members recommended by the United Future Party oppose the candidate recommendation, the launch of HOCI could be indefinitely delayed. This also assumes that the United Future Party exercises its recommendation rights.

In this situation, if the Democratic Party continues to link former Prime Minister Han's case with HOCI, it is widely expected that the United Future Party may refuse to engage in negotiations on HOCI's establishment altogether. A political insider said, "If HOCI investigates issues raised by the ruling party, it will inevitably appear that the ruling party controls HOCI. The opposition party's opposition to HOCI's establishment was likely due to such concerns," adding, "Claims for HOCI investigation into former Prime Minister Han's case could further solidify the opposition's rationale for opposition."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.