Democratic Party Accepts Opposition's State Audit Proposal... "Will Disclose List of Illegal Lawmakers"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] On the 16th, as the People Power Party accepted the Democratic Party of Korea's proposal for a special prosecutor investigation related to the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), the Democratic Party has now decided to accept the People Power Party's proposal for a parliamentary audit. The Democratic Party also announced plans to conduct a full investigation of all members of the National Assembly and publicly disclose the names of those found to have committed illegal acts.

Kim Tae-nyeon, co-chairman of the Democratic Party's joint standing election committee, held a press conference on the 16th and stated, "It is fortunate that the People Power Party has made a wise decision, albeit late. We will accept the parliamentary audit proposal from Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the People Power Party." The chief deputy representatives of both parties are scheduled to hold related consultations later that afternoon.

Kim also urged the opposition party, saying, "We expect the People Power Party to accept a full investigation of real estate holdings of candidates in the upcoming by-elections and their immediate family members," calling for the scope to include candidates for the by-elections and their direct relatives.

In response to a question from reporters on whether the names of lawmakers found to have committed illegal acts would be disclosed after the full investigation, he replied, "Of course." He also mentioned that disciplinary actions at the National Assembly level, such as referral to the Ethics Special Committee, would be considered.

Regarding the reason for proposing a special prosecutor, he explained, "While we expect the joint investigation headquarters to sufficiently investigate illegal speculation, the opposition party has continuously raised concerns about the reliability of the investigation. Therefore, to secure greater public trust in this investigation, we proposed appointing a special prosecutor to ensure there are no suspicions." The scope of the special prosecutor's investigation will be decided after further consultations with the opposition party.

On who will lead the investigation, he said, "We will establish the most neutral, objective, and capable body, or it could be conducted by an existing institution," adding, "We will actively reflect the opposition party's opinions during the decision-making process."

However, he noted that whether the parliamentary audit and other measures can be conducted before the April 7 by-elections requires careful consideration. Kim stated, "If a parliamentary audit is conducted, the subjects must be summoned to the National Assembly, which may have limitations. Since the opposition party proposed it, we will actively accept and negotiate, but we need to deeply consider ways to ensure its effectiveness."

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