Park Ji-hyun "Orderly Withdrawal of Complete Prosecution Reform"... Party Faction 'Furious' Over 'Two Paths' Remark

Park Ji-hyun, Democratic Party Co-Interim Chair, Advocates Caution at the General Assembly on the 12th
"Two Paths: Orderly Withdrawal of the Complete Prosecution Reform Law or Forcing Prosecution Reform"
"No Clear Way to Pass Even if Forced... Diverse Opinions Within the Party"

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Park Jun-i] The Democratic Party of Korea held a party meeting on the 12th to finalize the party stance on whether to push forward with the 'Geomsu Wanbak (complete removal of the prosecution's investigative authority)' bill. During the meeting, when Co-Interim Chairperson Park Ji-hyun mentioned a 'cautious approach,' some members strongly opposed her, exposing internal conflicts for a time.

Park Ji-hyun, Co-Chair of the Democratic Party's Emergency Committee, is attending the Policy Lawmakers' Meeting held at the National Assembly on the 12th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

In their opening remarks, Co-Interim Chairperson Yoon Ho-jung and Floor Leader Park Hong-geun emphasized the adjustment of the prosecution's investigative authority and prosecution reform, reiterating their determination to push forward with Geomsu Wanbak.

However, Co-Interim Chairperson Park expressed concerns about the prosecution reform, stating that she would present a 'minority opinion' rather than the majority view.

In her opening remarks, Park said, "A prosecution crisis has begun. To me, it only looks like prosecutors are unwilling to give up their money and power. Prosecution reform must be done. The public wants it, and I also strongly support it." Nevertheless, she emphasized, "However, the public's perspective and political judgment are very difficult. I hope there will be a more sober discussion today."

Park said, "There are two paths ahead of us," adding, "One is to orderly withdraw Geomsu Wanbak and focus on livelihood bills; the other is to force prosecution reform."

She continued, "The problem is that even if we push it through, there is no proper way to pass it," noting, "Without the Justice Party's participation and unity within the Democratic Party, passage is impossible. However, the Justice Party has officially opposed it, and there are many diverse opinions within the party." She also added, "It will be difficult for the Geomsu Wanbak bill to pass, and even if it does, I worry that we might lose the local elections and practical benefits."

She said, "The timing of prosecution reform needs to be discussed further," and concluded, "With the spirit of renewing the Democratic Party and realizing the unified politics promised during the presidential election, I felt someone had to speak up, so I gathered the courage."

Some members reportedly reacted strongly to Park's remarks with harsh language.

After the opening remarks, when Park met with reporters outside the meeting room and was asked if some members opposed her when she spoke about the two paths, she replied, "I did not speak without anticipating opposition."

Member of Parliament Yoo Dong-su, who came out during the meeting to meet reporters, said, "There are many who oppose (or have concerns about) Geomsu Wanbak," and conveyed that if opinions among members are significantly divided, the issue might go to a vote. When asked if opinions are that divided, he said, "Some are concerned about the timing, some about the content, and some about whether the police's capabilities are prepared."

Meanwhile, on the same day, Chairperson Yoon Ho-jung appeared on a morning radio show and stated that the goal is to pass the Geomsu Wanbak bill in the National Assembly within April and have it promulgated at the Cabinet meeting on May 3.

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