President Moon: "The Corruption Investigation Office needs more active opposition"... Kim Geun-sik: "Are they building a wall against reality?"

"Prosecutor's Office Amendment Bill Turns Out Completely Different from What Moon Originally Envisioned"

Kim Geun-sik, Professor at Gyeongnam University and Chairman of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong District Committee in Seoul / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Professor Kim Geunsik of Gyeongnam University, chairman of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong district committee in Seoul, sarcastically criticized President Moon Jae-in for saying that "the opposition party should be active and the ruling party should be passive toward the passage of the High-ranking Officials' Crimes Investigation Office Act (HCIO Act) amendment" by saying, "He lives a very comfortable life."

On the 11th, Professor Kim wrote on his Facebook, "If you are in the secluded Blue House, it seems you are building walls with reality and living in another country," and strongly criticized, "Please watch the news, look at the data, and study."

He continued, "Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know, that the current HCIO is different from what President Roh Moo-hyun attempted and completely different from what President Moon originally envisioned?"

He then poured criticism, saying, "A president who praises and sides with the ruthless prosecution taming and the targeting of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl," and "A president obsessed with the word HCIO, praising the distorted and corrupted monster HCIO that has become the absolute ring of power under that name."

In particular, regarding President Moon's remark that "the activeness of the ruling and opposition parties has reversed" concerning the HCIO, Professor Kim rebutted, "If the HCIO guarantees independent investigation of corruption by the president and high-ranking officials, the opposition party would naturally support it," and "Now the HCIO has become a loyal dog that protects and grants impunity to the president and the power elite, so naturally the opposition party has no choice but to oppose it."

He also pointed out, "Even if the regime changes, the HCIO will cover up crimes, so it is understandable that the president eagerly awaits and is moved by the launch of the HCIO."

President Moon Jae-in is smiling ahead of delivering a live speech declaring the '2050 Carbon Neutrality Vision for Korea' in the office of the Blue House main building on the afternoon of the 10th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, President Moon expressed his position on the 10th, right after the passage of the HCIO Act amendment, saying, "It was regrettable that the launch of the HCIO was indefinitely delayed, but it is fortunate that the path for a swift launch has opened with the amendment," according to Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok.

He also pointed out, "The establishment of the HCIO is a long-standing wish and a promise to the people for investigation and inspection without sanctuary for power-type corruption including the president, checks and balances among power institutions, and a corruption-free society," and "Originally, the opposition party should be active and the ruling party passive, but the discussion has strangely flowed otherwise," it was reported.

Meanwhile, the HCIO Act amendment passed by the National Assembly plenary session that day mainly nullifies the opposition party's veto power. According to the bill, the standard for recommending the HCIO chief candidate is relaxed from "approval by at least 6 out of 7 recommendation committee members" to "at least two-thirds of the quorum," and the qualification requirement for HCIO prosecutors is lowered from 10 years to 7 years of being a lawyer.

Even without the two recommendation committee members allocated to the opposition party, if the ruling party receives recommendations from the remaining HCIO chief candidate recommendation committee members, it can adopt the HCIO chief candidate.

After the bill passed the plenary session, the opposition party raised voices of criticism. Bae Jun-young, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a verbal comment that day, "The Democratic Party should be ashamed before history," and criticized, "They trampled on the 70-year tradition and ethics of the legislature to establish the HCIO."

He added, "Is the regime now relieved thinking it can avoid criminal punishment?" and emphasized, "The HCIO may now act as a loyal dog for the regime that gave birth to it, but toward the end of the regime, it will follow survival logic."

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