Filibuster's First Speaker Kim Gi-hyeon: "All Power Comes from 'Munppa'"

"Prosecutors' Office to Become a 'Corruption Cover-Up Office' for the Powerful"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The first filibuster (legitimate parliamentary obstruction through unlimited debate) to block the opposition party's High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Hugo) Act ended at midnight on the 9th. Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the People Power Party who took the floor first, cited Article 1 of the Constitution and criticized, "The Republic of Korea is a Moonju Republic. Sovereignty in Korea belongs to Moon-nim, and all power comes from Moonppa."

Kim started the filibuster at 9 p.m. and continued his speech for three hours. He sharply stated, "If the Hugo Act is unilaterally passed according to the ruling party's intentions, it will be recorded in history as a day of legislative tyranny that trampled on the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, liberal democracy, and the National Assembly." He then raised his voice, asking, "What exactly is prosecutorial reform? Will judicial justice be established if the Hugo is launched and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is excluded?"

Kim pointed out, "What did President Moon Jae-in do during the Ulsan mayoral election interference operation and the Druking comment manipulation incident? And who is the main culprit in the manipulation of the economic evaluation of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1?" He added, "I was dumbfounded by the ruling party's reaction to the appellate court ruling on Governor Kim Kyung-soo of Gyeongnam Province. If the Hugo had existed earlier, that case might not have even gone to trial but could have been easily covered up." Kim was the former mayor of Ulsan at the time of the Ulsan mayoral election interference allegations, which the People Power Party points to as a representative power-related corruption case of the Moon Jae-in administration.

Kim said, "The Hugo will become a corruption concealment office for the powerful by the powerful and a power protection office," and sharply questioned, "How deeply involved in corruption must they be to have removed the opposition party's veto power over the Hugo chief candidate?" When Kim displayed on the plenary session screen a past statement by Park Ju-min, a Democratic Party member who emphasized the opposition's veto power over the Hugo chief candidate, Democratic Party members shouted protests loudly.

Kim spoke so passionately that he had to replace his mask, which had become soaked during the speech. When his speech exceeded two hours, he drank water in big gulps and joked, "I came wearing a diaper today, so I'm fine," which caused laughter among members of both ruling and opposition parties.

The teamwork of the People Power Party also drew attention. Whenever Kim asked in succession, "Is opportunity equal?", "Is the process fair?", and "Is the outcome just?", People Power Party members repeatedly shouted "No." During the speech, Kwon Seong-dong, a People Power Party member, told Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, "Answer Kim's question about your double standards," and Kim responded, "You shouldn't say 'You're making up stories' again." Minister Choo, who was reading the book 'Why I Left the Prosecution' in the cabinet members' seats, did not even glance over.

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