Opposition Criticizes President Moon's Call for Public Corruption Investigation Office... "Equivalent to a Declaration of War"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The opposition parties, including the People Power Party and the People Party, have criticized President Moon Jae-in's call for the passage of reform legislation such as the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (Gongsoocheo) during the Blue House senior secretaries meeting.

Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a verbal statement on the 7th, "It is nothing less than a declaration of war by the president," and pointed out, "It is a 'VIP directive' to ensure the disciplinary action against the Prosecutor General and the passage of the Gongsoocheo legislation."

She raised her voice, saying, "Even amid the suffering of the entire nation due to COVID-19, the underlying motive behind the repeated calls for Gongsoocheo seems to be vote calculation that has already ended," and "How big must the corruption of this administration be that it casually tramples on public sentiment that could be lost due to the Gongsoocheo rush?"

Spokesperson Kim criticized, "After using it like a limb for three and a half years, now that the corruption seems likely to be exposed, they are playing an old tape about 'independence' and 'reform,'" and added, "This country is not the president's property."

People Party spokesperson Ahn Hye-jin also pointed out, "The president's remarks today are a charge order to the Blue House's second unit," and said, "Now the government has reached the point where it openly gives legislative orders to the ruling party without any discretion."

She questioned, "Please, the government should do what it is supposed to do. The rapid collapse of the country is breaking the hearts of the people," and asked, "In a situation where many principles are already collapsing, why are they trying to break the principle of separation of powers that drives democracy in the Republic of Korea?"

Spokesperson Ahn demanded, "The Blue House places the order, the Democratic Party executes it, and with 180 seats, they mechanically produce bills like a conveyor belt in each committee. This is absolutely not reform legislation, and certainly not democracy," and urged, "Stop any further directives so that the 21st National Assembly can fulfill its duties as representatives of the people."

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