People Power Party's push for Yoon Seok-yeol's attendance at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee fails... Blocked by the Democratic Party

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] On the 25th, the People Power Party attempted to summon Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol to the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, but the effort was thwarted due to opposition from the Democratic Party of Korea.

People Power Party members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee requested the convening of a full committee meeting the day before for an urgent inquiry directed at Minister Choo and Prosecutor General Yoon. The purpose was to question the background and truth behind Minister Choo's decision to suspend Prosecutor General Yoon from his duties.

Democratic Party Chairman Yoon Ho-jung and Secretary Baek Hye-ryun initially expressed refusal, but the People Power Party pressured them by emphasizing the provision in the National Assembly Act that requires a meeting to be held if at least one-quarter of the standing committee members request it. As the decision was delayed, People Power Party Secretary Kim Do-eup threatened that if the ruling party did not comply, he would take over the chairmanship and start the committee meeting unilaterally.

In response to the People Power Party's demand, Chairman Yoon eventually presided over the meeting around 10:10 a.m. that day but declared an adjournment after about 10 minutes. Chairman Yoon stated, "According to the National Assembly Act, the meeting is held, but the authority to set the agenda lies with the chairman," adding, "Since ruling party members are unable to attend and the meeting is difficult to proceed, the secretaries should consult on the committee's convening along with the agenda."

The People Power Party members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee protested. Representative Kim said, "This is disheartening. They exploited the regulation that prohibits reconvening on the same day after an immediate adjournment following the meeting's opening, ruthlessly eliminating the opposition's demands and the public's right to know." The People Power Party plans to visit the Supreme Prosecutors' Office at 2 p.m. that day. Representative Jang Je-won said, "This is to verify facts related to the inspection and to find out how they are preparing for the vacancy situation of the Prosecutor General."

Meanwhile, during the full committee meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee that day, a confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties occurred over whether Prosecutor General Yoon would appear before the National Assembly. When Representative Kim Do-eup said, "There is a report that Prosecutor General Yoon has departed from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Let's wait and then hold the meeting," Chairman Yoon and Representative Baek Hye-ryun reacted strongly.

Chairman Yoon said, "Whether it is the Minister of Justice or the Prosecutor General, no contact was made to summon them, so who did they talk to in order to decide to come in on their own?" He added, "This is an unreasonable matter." Representative Baek also said, "We have not even sent a summons, so such a collusive committee should no longer be held."

In response, Representative Kim said, "The request to convene clearly states it is for an urgent inquiry. According to the National Assembly Act, if there is a request to convene, the meeting must be held, so Minister Choo should already be here at this place."

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