"Are They Giving Up on Being a Democratic Party?"... Min Hyung-bae's Departure Sparks Backlash, Democratic Party Faces 'Headwind' Concerns

Opposition Continues Within Democratic Party Over Min Hyung-bae's Defection
Park Yong-jin: "Repeated Irrationality Will Not Work"
Lee So-young: "An Extremely Clear Evasion"

Min Hyung-bae, a lawmaker who left the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] The political fallout is intensifying both inside and outside the political sphere following Min Hyung-bae's departure from the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to forcibly pass the so-called 'complete removal of prosecution's investigative authority' (Geomsu Wanbak) bill. The DPK intends to pass the Geomsu Wanbak bill during the April extraordinary session of the National Assembly. However, there have been public criticisms within the party, including remarks such as "penny wise, pound foolish." Some warn that if the bill is pushed through recklessly, it could provoke a backlash from moderate voters in the June 1 local elections.

On the 21st, DPK lawmaker Park Yong-jin stated on his Facebook, "The fundamental premise for fulfilling the public's desire for prosecutorial reform is national consensus," and opened by saying, "I fundamentally agree with the necessity of prosecutorial reform and the separation of investigative and prosecutorial powers."

He continued, "However, our current impatience toward Geomsu Wanbak is very worrisome," adding, "There is a Go proverb that says if you make three brilliant moves, you lose. One instance of irrationality might be a brilliant move, but repeated irrationality does not work."

He criticized, "Initially, they tried to bring in the Justice Party but failed, then attempted to replace lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja but failed again, and now they are trying to pass the bill by having lawmaker Min Hyung-bae leave the party to get through the agenda coordination committee stage," calling it "not a brilliant move but a trick. Even citizens who support Geomsu Wanbak say this is not right."

Park said, "There were unavoidable situations with situational logic such as double standards in personnel, satellite parties, and forcibly amending party rules for by-election candidacies, but as a result, we lost the presidential election," and questioned, "Isn't the lesson we learned after losing power for the first time in five years that penny wise, pound foolish without national consensus is self-defeating?"

Park Yong-jin, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

DPK emergency committee member Lee So-young also sent a letter to party lawmakers on the same day, stating, "There have been criticisms that designating lawmakers close to the DPK as agenda coordinators undermines the original intent, but having an actual DPK lawmaker leave the party to meet this number is unprecedented," calling it "a very clear loophole."

She added, "When we ourselves make choices that are not honorable, the public is disappointed in us. We have been painfully judged in two consecutive elections as a result of such choices," and argued, "We must not repeat the same mistakes again."

Lee strongly criticized, "If we ignore the legal procedures and principles we created ourselves to pass the bill we want and resort to any means necessary, we may be giving up on being a democratic party ourselves."

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Earlier, lawmaker Min submitted his resignation from the DPK and became an independent. It is interpreted that the DPK intends to place Min, who supports Geomsu Wanbak, as the one independent member participating in the agenda coordination committee to swiftly pass the bill.

The agenda coordination committee consists of three members from each ruling and opposition party. If two-thirds or more of the six members approve an agenda referred to the committee, it is considered reviewed by the subcommittee and can be immediately submitted to the plenary session. If Min becomes an independent, he can participate in the agenda coordination committee as part of the opposition quota.

Despite internal opposition, calls to push forward the Geomsu Wanbak bill remain strong. On the same day, DPK floor leader Park Hong-geun said in an interview with Yonhap News TV, "If we fail to pass the bill in the April National Assembly, the reform of the prosecution and the restructuring of power institutions pursued over the past 20 years will become truly difficult for the foreseeable future," adding, "The principle of checks and balances where the police conduct investigations, the prosecution specializes in indictments, and the courts handle trials was agreed upon by President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol and People Power Party floor leader Kwon Seong-dong, wasn't it?"

Meanwhile, ruling and opposition parties entered final negotiations under the mediation of National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug regarding the Geomsu Wanbak legislation. Accordingly, the Judiciary Committee's agenda coordination committee, which the DPK had pushed for to forcibly pass the bill, has been temporarily put on hold.

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