Is Bipartisan Agreement on the Internal Rebellion Special Investigation Act Possible... 'Foreign Exchange Retention Crime' Emerges as an Unexpected Obstacle

Park Chan-dae "Third-party recommendation method adding foreign exchange inducement crime"
Ruling party expected to oppose due to 'broad investigation scope'
Kwon Seong-dong "Will remove toxic clauses from special prosecutor law"

As the 'Special Investigation Act on Treason (Special Investigation Act on Treason)' failed to pass the threshold for re-voting in the National Assembly plenary session, political attention is focused on whether an agreement will be reached following strategic adjustments by both ruling and opposition parties. There is an underlying concern that if the opposition pushes for another vote on the Special Investigation Act on Treason without prior consultation, and the ruling party continues efforts to block the re-vote by relying on the acting presidential authority, an endless deadlock could repeat. Although the opposition has shown signs of strategic change, such as agreeing to include the third-party nomination method demanded by the ruling party, it plans to broaden the scope of investigation by adding the 'crime of attracting foreign exchange,' raising doubts about whether an agreement with the ruling party can be reached.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 9th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

On the 8th, the National Assembly held a plenary session and conducted a re-vote on the Special Investigation Act on Treason, which was ultimately rejected with 198 votes in favor, 101 against, and 1 abstention. To override a veto by the president or acting president and pass a bill returned to the Assembly, a majority of the total members must be present, and at least two-thirds of those present must vote in favor. The Special Investigation Act on Kim Geon-hee (Kim Geon-hee Special Investigation Act), which was also re-voted on alongside the Special Investigation Act on Treason, was rejected with 196 votes in favor, 103 against, and 1 invalid vote. In other words, it failed to surpass the 200-vote threshold.

The Democratic Party of Korea plans to immediately reintroduce the Special Investigation Act on Treason on the 9th. Notably, it will be reintroduced with the third-party nomination method requested by the ruling party. Additionally, they plan to discuss excluding military secret elements, which the government and ruling party had cited as reasons to oppose the execution of the arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, from the special investigation briefing. The Kim Geon-hee Special Investigation Act, which the ruling party found burdensome, is expected to be reintroduced after some time.

This has led to speculation that the Special Investigation on Treason might gain momentum. The issue is that the crime of attracting foreign exchange has been added as an investigation item under the Special Investigation Act on Treason. Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party floor leader, said at a policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly that day, "The Democratic Party will immediately introduce the Special Investigation Act on Treason with the third-party nomination method including the addition of the crime of attracting foreign exchange. The justification for the December 3 treason incident has already been revealed as North Korea’s military attack provoked it. We must uncover the fact that they tried to drag the people into the horrors of war."

This indicates that there is no significant change in the Democratic Party’s existing stance of trying to seize political hegemony by pressuring the government and ruling party. Previously, when Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delayed the appointment of a constitutional court justice recommended by the National Assembly and exercised veto power over the Special Investigation Acts on Treason and Kim Geon-hee, known as the double special investigation acts, the Democratic Party immediately pulled out the impeachment card. A Democratic Party official said, "No matter what conditions are presented, the ruling party shows no intention to negotiate regarding the Special Investigation Act on Treason," adding, "They will continue to obstruct and only put the brakes on."

Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the party-government meeting held at the National Assembly on the 9th to stabilize prices of Lunar New Year seasonal products and promote consumption. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

It remains to be seen whether the People Power Party will show a flexible response to the Special Investigation Act on Treason by accepting the addition of the crime of attracting foreign exchange. The People Power Party had cited the broad scope of investigation and the special investigator nomination process excluding the ruling party as toxic clauses in the double special investigation acts. Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at an emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly that day, "The People Power Party does not negotiate out of fear. At the same time, we are not afraid to discuss removing toxic clauses from the rejected special investigation acts."

However, it is noteworthy that the People Power Party is pushing for a revised Special Investigation Act on Treason excluding the toxic clauses. Floor leader Kwon told reporters the day before, "We will discuss a version that removes toxic and unconstitutional elements at the party caucus meeting," adding, "As soon as the revised version is prepared, we will submit it to the caucus for discussion and reach a conclusion."

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