與 "Recommendation Deadline for Chief of the Corruption Investigation Office: 18th 'Final Line'"... Last Ultimatum

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The Democratic Party of Korea has set the deadline for recommending a candidate for the head of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (Gong-su-cheo) as the 18th of this month. If the final candidate is not decided by then, they plan to amend the Gong-su-cheo Act.

On the 16th, Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, said at the Supreme Council meeting, "The candidate recommendation committee for the Gong-su-cheo head held a meeting last Friday (the 13th) but ended without any results," adding, "They plan to hold another meeting on Wednesday (the 18th), so I hope they reach a conclusion."

He continued, "If the opposition party tries to stall, we will never stand by," and emphasized, "We reaffirm that the Gong-su-cheo head must be appointed and the unit launched within this month." This indicates a willingness to amend the Gong-su-cheo Act if the recommendation committee fails to select a candidate even after the third meeting. It is essentially a final ultimatum.

Choi In-ho, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, also stated in a commentary that "the third meeting on the 18th is the last meeting and the deadline to recommend a candidate for the Gong-su-cheo head by consensus," adding, "A conclusion must be reached." He said, "There is no reason to delay any longer. If there is, it would only be the misguided intention of some to block the launch of the Gong-su-cheo."

Democratic Party lawmakers on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee also pressured the opposition by mentioning the re-promotion of amendments to the Gong-su-cheo Act. Currently, the amendment proposed by lawmaker Kim Yong-min lowers the quorum for recommending the Gong-su-cheo head from 6 out of 7 members to two-thirds (5 members), which could nullify the veto power of the two opposition-appointed recommendation committee members.

In an interview with MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus," Democratic Party lawmaker Baek Hye-ryun said, "We need to observe the situation on the 18th and review the atmosphere and discussions of the recommendation committee, but if it is judged to be a weakening tactic by the opposition, it will be difficult for our Democratic Party to back down any further."

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