Kim Taenyeon: "Democratic Party to Begin Amending the CIO Act"

[Asia Economy, Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] On November 19, Kim Taenyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, “The Democratic Party will officially begin the process of amending the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) Act,” making it clear that the party intends to revise the law to neutralize the opposition’s veto power. The previous day (November 18), the committee responsible for recommending candidates for the head of the CIO ended its activities without reaching a consensus on the nominees.

At the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, Floor Leader Kim said, “I make it clear that we will push for the amendment of the CIO Act at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting scheduled for the 25th,” reiterating his stance.

Kim Taenyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 19th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dongjoo doso7@

He pointed out, “Although we established a near-consensus-based procedure for recommending the CIO chief, requiring the approval of at least six out of seven committee members, the opposition has proven that even the best system becomes useless if abused. The opposition’s committee members repeatedly exercised their veto power to block the process.”

He continued, “We can no longer be swayed by the opposition’s attempts to delay and ultimately derail the launch of the CIO. There is no indication that further waiting will change the opposition’s stance or their delaying tactics. Therefore, we have no choice but to make a significant decision to ensure the launch of the CIO.”

Floor Leader Kim emphasized, “The responsibility for the failure to recommend candidates and the termination of the committee’s activities lies entirely with the People Power Party. The Democratic Party has repeatedly stated that we will complete the launch of the CIO, to root out corruption among high-ranking officials and reform the prosecution, by November. No matter what happens, we will ensure the CIO is launched within this year.”

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