"Making an Agreement and Then Denying It Leaves No Ground for Parliamentary Politics"… Speaker Park Byeong-seok's Lament

The Speaker's Mediation Proposal on the Inspection Ban Law is a Top-Level Agreement
"Urging to Demonstrate a New Spirit of Cooperation"

Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seok is presenting a partial amendment to the Prosecutors' Office Act, which includes the 'Geomsu Wanbak' (separation of prosecution and investigation rights), at the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] On the 3rd, National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok expressed regret over the fact that despite having reached a Speaker's mediation proposal agreed upon by both ruling and opposition parties after the plenary vote on the so-called "complete removal of prosecution's investigative authority" (검수완박, Geomsu Wanbak) law including the Criminal Procedure Act, the situation escalated into a catastrophic confrontation between the parties. Speaker Park appealed, "I earnestly ask both parties to compose their minds sincerely for the national interest, the people, and livelihoods, and to demonstrate a renewed spirit of cooperation."

After concluding the votes on the Criminal Procedure Act and the resolution to form the Special Committee on Judicial Reform that day, Speaker Park briefly shared his thoughts.

He said, "This reform plan was basically based on the so-called Speaker's mediation proposal," adding, "The mediation proposal was not an original idea of the Speaker but a de facto bipartisan agreement derived through long discussions among the leaders of both parties and relevant lawmakers." He continued, "The floor leaders of both parties gave final approval to the mediation proposal, it was ratified at the party caucuses, the transition team representing the new government also expressed respect for this agreement, and the incumbent president evaluated it as a well-made agreement," emphasizing, "This agreement was the highest level of consensus achievable by the political circles."

However, he also expressed regret that this agreement led to controversy over reconsideration and annulment. He stated, "This agreement was the highest level of consensus achievable by the political circles," and criticized, "If such a highest-level agreement is outright denied by one side, politics of dialogue and compromise, and parliamentary politics will no longer have a place to stand."

Furthermore, regarding the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties during the legislative process, he said, "There was a confrontation between the parties that the public criticized and disliked so much during this process," and expressed "deep regret."

Regarding the bill that separates the prosecution's investigative authority, which was processed through several plenary sessions, he said, "As of today, reform of the criminal justice system has entered an advanced stage," but also noted, "There were strong opinions that prosecution reform was insufficient and concerns about side effects. I ask that any points needing supplementation be thoroughly addressed through deep discussions in the Special Committee on Judicial Reform."

In particular, concerning future reforms such as the adjustment of investigative authority, he urged, "The direction should be arranged so that no innocent citizens suffer injustice, and that human rights protection, relief for crime victims, and the overall capacity for crime investigation do not decrease."

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