Aftermath of National Assembly's Handling of Corruption Investigation Office... Cheong Faces 'Dark Clouds' over Cooperation Model

Opposition Floor Leader Submits Inquiry Letter, Requests Presidential Meeting... Cheong "No Prior Coordination, Simply Political Inquiry"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] As the 'December political situation' rapidly freezes, a red light has been lit for the smooth landing of the cooperation model. The Blue House drew the blueprint for cooperation based on the 'Permanent Consultative Body of the Ruling Party, Opposition, and Government,' but it was halted before it could even be properly implemented. The cause of the 'cold front' looming over the political sphere is the issue of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (Gongsoocheo).

The cold wave was anticipated as the law related to Gongsoocheo, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, passed the National Assembly plenary session. What is noteworthy is that the backlash is spreading to the Blue House, which had been stepping aside from the front line of confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties.

On the 10th, President Moon Jae-in said regarding the handling of Gongsoocheo, "It was regrettable that the launch of Gongsoocheo was delayed indefinitely, but it is fortunate that the path for a swift launch has opened through the amendment of the bill." President Moon evaluated, "The establishment of Gongsoocheo is a long-standing wish and a promise to the people for an investigation and inspection without sanctuary into power-related corruption, including the president and special relations, checks and balances among power institutions, and a corruption-free society."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The opposition suspects that the Blue House is behind the aggressive drive for Gongsoocheo. In this situation, President Moon’s message welcoming Gongsoocheo could amplify the opposition’s backlash.

In this regard, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, joined a group calling for the resignation of the Moon Jae-in administration, which includes civil society. Whether the People Power Party will launch a full-scale regime resignation movement or remain a political rhetoric to pressure the ruling party remains to be seen. What is clear is that the December political situation is taking an unusual turn.

The Blue House’s response is also unusual. It interpreted Floor Leader Joo’s request for a meeting with President Moon as a political offensive and responded to the delivery of a questionnaire as 'questionnaire politics.' This is a changed scene from the Blue House atmosphere that showed expectations immediately after Joo was elected floor leader.

A key Blue House official said, "Floor Leader Joo’s request for a meeting with the Blue House was made without any prior coordination," adding, "Floor Leader Joo sent two public questionnaires to the Blue House in October. Although called questionnaires, they were no different from denunciation statements. In short, it was questionnaire politics," delivering a direct blow.

The Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was passed at the plenary session of the National Assembly held on the 10th with 187 votes in favor, 99 against, and 1 abstention. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is shouting a slogan./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The Blue House also expressed discomfort over the requests from first-term lawmakers of the People Power Party for meetings with the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs and for delivering a questionnaire, saying, "They turned the area in front of the Blue House fountain into a political battleground and left." The Blue House judges that the Gongsoocheo controversy is a matter for the ruling and opposition parties to resolve, and involving the president is a political offensive.

This perception by the Blue House is making the tangled political situation even more complicated. When the political situation continues in an extreme confrontation, the traditional solution is a 'summit meeting.' In the past, the 'chairman' of the main opposition party and the president would meet to negotiate and resolve political issues, which is the basic mechanism of a summit meeting.

Although the party structure is different now, making a summit meeting in the past format impossible, a meeting between the president and the main opposition party 'leader' still holds political significance equivalent to a summit meeting. Earlier, the Blue House also conveyed that it would not restrict the form of the meeting.

However, considering the aftershocks of Gongsoocheo, it is questionable whether a summit meeting-style encounter will take place. The Blue House considers the smooth landing of the cooperation model important to secure national governance momentum in the new year, but the December political situation is unfolding in a way different from expectations.

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