Joo Ho-young: "The Purpose of the Corruption Investigation Office Act Is to Continue Until a 'Candidate Agreed by the Opposition' Emerges"

"The confiscation of veto power is a declaration of absolute dictatorship"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated on the 23rd regarding the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) that “the purpose of this law is to continue until a candidate agreed upon by the opposition party emerges from the CIO chief candidate recommendation committee,” adding, “We must not forget that this was originally designed by the Democratic Party of Korea.”

At the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Floor Leader Joo said, “The CIO Act has constitutional controversy and was unilaterally passed by the Democratic Party,” and “Not a single clause in the law reflects our party’s intentions.”

He sharpened his remarks by saying, “The Democratic Party has said that the CIO chief must be neutral because they need the opposition’s consent,” and “Now that the recommendation committee has only met once, trying to take away the veto power is truly a declaration of absolute dictatorship.”

Floor Leader Joo added, “If they want to appoint even the CIO chief to suit their tastes, it would destroy the judicial system,” and “Just as Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae abused personnel authority, investigative command, and inspection rights to obstruct important prosecution investigations, the CIO must not become such an organization.”

He further stated, “The opposition’s veto power was abused only once, and the Democratic Party did the same. We also recommended many excellent candidates, but the Democratic Party rejected them,” and “They do not disclose reasons out of respect for the candidates’ honor, but if details such as political connections and membership in the Uri Law Research Association are revealed one by one, everyone will realize that the independence and neutrality are severely lacking.”

Regarding the new airport issue in the Yeongnam region, Floor Leader Joo said, “Kim Soo-sam, chairman of the Gimhae New Airport Verification Committee, says he never canceled the Gimhae New Airport plan,” and “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which holds the authority, must clarify whether the plan has been changed or not.”

He added, “Important national projects costing tens of trillions of won must not be changed on a whim or done easily without scientific data or sufficient verification,” and “Important national projects must be decided by top experts gathering to best serve the interests of the entire Republic of Korea.”

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