Can't Do, Won't Do... Ruling and Opposition Parties' 'Daejang-dong Special Prosecutor' Dilemma

Disagreement Over Investigation Scope... Processing Virtually Impossible Before New Government Inauguration

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] The ruling and opposition parties have entered a prolonged battle over the Daejang-dong special prosecutor investigation. With disagreements over specific procedures and investigation targets unresolved, it is highly likely that the proposal will not pass the National Assembly plenary session before the new government takes office. As the June nationwide local elections approach and variables increase, the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party continue to repeat the stance that "our special prosecutor proposal is the correct one."

According to political circles on the 15th, the Democratic Party began coordinating a schedule for the March extraordinary session of the National Assembly to handle the "Daejang-dong special prosecutor investigation request" discussed at the National Assembly the previous afternoon, focusing on members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. A staff member from a Democratic Party lawmaker's office in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee said, "There is a public consensus on the permanent special prosecutor law, and within the Democratic Party, the opinion has been settled that no more time should be wasted and the original proposal should be processed as is," adding, "The ruling and opposition parties will have time to coordinate once again in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee."

Currently, the Democratic Party advocates following the procedures outlined in the permanent special prosecutor law. According to this, a committee composed of four members recommended by both ruling and opposition parties, the Deputy Minister of Justice, the Deputy Chief of the Court Administration Office, and the President of the Korean Bar Association recommends two special prosecutor candidates, from whom the President appoints one. Since the current government's Deputy Minister of Justice participates in candidate recommendations, this structure favors the Democratic Party. On the other hand, the People Power Party's bill stipulates that four special prosecutor candidates recommended by the Korean Bar Association are narrowed down to two by mutual agreement between the two parties, and the President appoints one from these two.

The bigger issue lies in the scope of the investigation. The People Power Party focuses the scope on allegations related to Lee Jae-myung, the former Democratic Party presidential candidate, whereas the Democratic Party includes investigations related to President-elect Yoon Seok-youl, such as the illegal loan and inadequate investigation of the Busan Savings Bank case.

Although the Democratic Party officially declared handling the special prosecutor proposal in the March National Assembly session, political and legal circles commonly analyze that reaching an agreement will not be easy. Even if the special prosecutor is introduced within this month as planned by the Democratic Party, considering the preparation period for forming the investigation team, the investigation can only start at the earliest by the end of next month. It is practically impossible to reach a conclusion before President-elect Yoon's inauguration.

The complicated calculations of both parties also add variables. From the Democratic Party's perspective, forcibly pushing the special prosecutor introduction ahead of the local elections by leveraging their number of seats could backfire due to public backlash.

However, the People Power Party cannot simply stand by either. After the new government takes office, President-elect Yoon will have to appoint the special prosecutor, which could lead to criticism of "political retaliation."

A People Power Party lawmaker said, "The prosecution is already conducting investigations into Daejang-dong, and since half a year has passed since the special prosecutor was first mentioned, further delays could be disadvantageous to both parties," adding, "It would also be a burden for the ruling party if the start of the new government is marred by disputes over the special prosecutor." Reporter Bae Kyunghwan khbae@asiae.co.kr

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