Democrats Pressure December Special Session with Dual Special Prosecutors and State Audit, "Processing on 28th"

The Democratic Party of Korea has stepped up pressure on the government and ruling party during the December extraordinary session of the National Assembly, which began on the 11th, stating that it will handle the "Kim Geon-hee stock manipulation allegations," the "Daejang-dong 5 billion Club special prosecution allegations," and three national investigations, including the double special prosecution law. With the confirmation hearings for President Yoon Seok-yeol's second-term cabinet and the delayed passage of next year's budget bill also expected to lead to tense standoffs, this extraordinary session is anticipated to face difficulties.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 11th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the same day, Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, appeared on the YouTube program "Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult News Factory" and said, "The double special prosecution will be handled at the plenary session on the 28th." The double special prosecution law will be automatically submitted to the plenary session on the 28th if it is not tabled by the 22nd of this month, which is 60 days from the referral to the plenary session. However, since the People Power Party strongly opposes it and there is a possibility that President Yoon Seok-yeol may exercise his veto power, fierce battles over the handling of the double special prosecution law are expected. Regarding the possibility of President Yoon exercising his veto power on the double special prosecution law, Hong said, "I see it as fifty-fifty," but added, "It won't be easy (to exercise the veto)." He also said, "Since the approval rate for the double special prosecution is high in public opinion polls, the ruling party may bear political burdens."

The previous day, Yoon Young-duk, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, "According to a survey, 70% of the public believes that President Yoon should not exercise his veto power on the Kim Geon-hee special prosecution law," adding, "If President Yoon vetoes the Kim Geon-hee special prosecution law, the public will reject the president." He said, "The majority of the public wants a clear truth-finding regarding whether Kim Geon-hee was involved in the stock manipulation of Deutsche Motors, but the People Power Party is reportedly delaying the formation of the nomination management committee and preparing for the handling of the 'Kim Geon-hee special prosecution law' and the president's veto power," and criticized, "The ruling party is delaying preparations for next year's general election and blocking the Kim Geon-hee special prosecution law, which looks like President Yoon Seok-yeol is mobilizing the ruling party to shield Kim Geon-hee at all costs."

The Democratic Party plans to handle not only the double special prosecution law but also three national investigation plans at this month's plenary session, including the case of the death in the line of duty of Marine Corporal Chae, the preferential treatment allegations regarding the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway, and the Osong underpass disaster. Regarding the confirmation hearings for President Yoon's second-term cabinet, they are demanding the withdrawal of the nominations of Kim Hong-il, a former prosecutor and candidate for the Korea Communications Commission chairman, and Kang Do-hyung, the candidate for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, who has been embroiled in controversies over drunk driving and a history of violence. Regarding the national investigations, Hong said on the 3rd, "We plan to actively promote them during the extraordinary session," and added, "We will immediately conduct national investigations with high priority, such as the Yangpyeong Expressway, the death of Marine Corporal Chae, and the Osong disaster."

A power struggle is also expected over the passage of next year's budget bill. Although the ruling and opposition parties agreed to pass the budget at the plenary session on the 20th, differences remain over whether to cut or increase specific items such as research and development (R&D) projects and local currency budgets, so the plenary session will likely remain open until the 28th. The Democratic Party is pressuring that if no agreement is reached, it will unilaterally pass its own revised bill with only cuts. The People Power Party has stated that it is difficult to accept the Democratic Party's revision, calling it "an increase only in the budget proposed by Lee Jae-myung."

Park Jeong-ha, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, issued a statement on the same day, saying, "(The Democratic Party) is threatening to unilaterally pass its own budget bill if the ruling and opposition parties fail to reach an agreement," and emphasized, "The budget, which is made up of taxpayers' money, is not an inexhaustible cornucopia, so reckless increases must be negotiated and adjusted under the principle of fiscal soundness."

He also criticized the Democratic Party's "double special prosecution" and "national investigation" cards, saying they lack justification and are merely attempts to obstruct the government and ruling party. He said, "The special prosecution and national investigations unilaterally demanded by the Democratic Party are political maneuvers to rally support for the general election and acts of aggression," and added, "During the extraordinary session, only people's livelihoods and the budget should be the top priorities."

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