The Opposition Nominated the Head of the Corruption Investigation Office, but Behind It Lies a 'Veto Power'

- Nominee from the opposition party unlikely to cooperate
- Ruling party: "Delaying tactics, firm response"

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, and Joo Ho-young, Floor Leader, are attending the Emergency Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 26th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Although the People Power Party has nominated candidates for the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HCIO) chief recommendation committee, the actual launch of the HCIO is expected to face difficulties. This is because the opposition party is highly likely to actively use its 'veto power' during the HCIO chief recommendation process. Attention is also focused on whether the ruling party will once again bring out the card of amending the HCIO Act as a future strategy.

According to the People Power Party on the 26th, recently, Lim Jeong-hyeok, representative lawyer of the law firm Sanwoo, and Lee Heon, co-representative of the Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of the Korean Peninsula, were nominated as the opposition party's candidates for the HCIO chief recommendation committee.

However, in political circles, there is little expectation that these nominated recommendation committee members will cooperate willingly in recommending the HCIO chief. Under the current HCIO Act, six out of seven recommendation committee members must agree to recommend the HCIO chief. Even if all five recommendation committee members agree, if the two opposition party recommendation members continue to oppose, the recommendation process can be indefinitely extended. This is why there is an analysis that the People Power Party, which is awaiting the Constitutional Court's ruling on the unconstitutionality of the HCIO, has chosen a 'legal' delay tactic.

The key issue is the ruling party's future strategy. The Democratic Party faces multiple tasks including the prompt launch of the HCIO, the 'Fair Economy 3 Laws' (Commercial Act, Fair Trade Act, Financial Group Supervision Act) for economic democratization, and the passage of the Employment Insurance Act, Living Logistics Service Industry Development Act, and care-related laws. Considering the 176 seats they hold, all legislative amendments are possible, but handling the HCIO Act has become difficult. Although they could immediately neutralize the opposition's recommendation by amending the HCIO Act, pushing through the amendment after the People Power Party has already nominated committee members could backfire.

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 26th and is talking with Supreme Council member Yeom Tae-young after the meeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Seemingly aware of this, Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon pointed out on the same day that one of the nominated committee members had a past record of being accused by Sewol ferry victims' families, stating, "If this is exploited as a means to block the launch of the HCIO, the public will not tolerate it, and our party will not stand idly by." He added, "We will proceed with the appointment process as quickly as possible once the HCIO chief recommendation committee is formed."

Besides the launch of the HCIO, clashes between the ruling and opposition parties over the budget and contentious legislation are also expected. For now, the government and ruling party plan to focus on legislation related to people's livelihoods and the next year's budget once the National Assembly audit concludes. Lee said, "From now on, we will fully engage in legislative and budget reviews," adding, "This is a very critical phase for our society to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and prepare for the future." He emphasized, "Please deliver tangible results in reform legislation, livelihood legislation, and future legislation, and review and process the budget bill with utmost effort."

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also stated on social media that "the National Assembly audit ends today," and "Now that 'budget' and 'legislative' activities are beginning, cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties, as well as between the National Assembly and the government, is more urgently required than ever." He said, "We will boldly fix what needs to be corrected from the public's perspective and actively seek help from the National Assembly where cooperation is needed," emphasizing, "In the COVID-19 crisis phase, cooperation rather than political strife is required." He added, "As Prime Minister, I will also respond to the National Assembly's requests with a more humble attitude."

On the other hand, the People Power Party has announced it will conduct a 'microscopic inspection' of the government's next year's budget, calling it a "shameless budget that passes debt onto future generations." Regarding the Fair Economy 3 Laws, internal voices are emerging that toxic clauses should be revised in response to concerns from the business community.

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