Ruling and Opposition Parties Resume Talks on Three Major Special Prosecutor Amendments... Will a 'Compromise' for Cooperation Emerge?

Focus on Democratic Party's Compromise Proposal
Government Organization Act Also Under Discussion

The floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties will enter negotiations for the second consecutive day over the amendment bills for the three major special prosecutors (insurrection, Kim Keonhee, and the Chae Marine case). While the People Power Party has pointed out issues with the bills, such as the extension of the special prosecutor's term, political circles are closely watching what kind of compromise the Democratic Party will propose.

Yonhap News

On the afternoon of September 10, the floor leadership of both parties is scheduled to meet at the National Assembly in Yeouido to resume discussions on the amendment bills for the three major special prosecutors. The previous day, Kim Byungki, floor leader of the Democratic Party, and Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, also met, but only discussed the overall issues, including the extension of the special prosecutor's activities, without reaching an agreement.

The core of the amendment bills is to expand the investigation period, scope, and personnel for the ongoing three major special prosecutors. The bills also include provisions that, if investigations are not completed within the designated period or if indictment decisions are pending, such cases will be transferred to the National Investigation Headquarters, which will maintain prosecution under the direction of the special prosecutor.

The People Power Party maintains that the amendment bills themselves are unjust and, fundamentally, should not be put to a general vote. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has expressed a willingness to positively consider mandatory public trials, the special prosecutor's authority to direct cases currently maintained by military prosecutors, and the transfer of cases to the National Investigation Headquarters. However, the party appears unlikely to concede on the extension period.

The amendment to the Government Organization Act is also under discussion between the parties. Some speculate that the Democratic Party may make concessions on certain aspects of the three major special prosecutor bills in exchange for cooperation on the Government Organization Act. In the previous meeting between the floor leaders, there were discussions related to the amendment, such as the establishment of the Financial Supervisory Commission. After the meeting, Moon Jinseok, deputy floor leader for parliamentary operations of the Democratic Party, was asked about the discussions on ruling party-led issues and stated, "We (the ruling party) must reorganize the government structure to support the new administration's work environment, so we are engaging in forward-looking discussions with the opposition."

The Democratic Party plans to sequentially process the amendment bills for the three major special prosecutors in the plenary session starting September 11. The People Power Party is also preparing to launch a filibuster (unlimited debate) should the bills be put to a vote. If no compromise is reached between the parties, it appears that the final handling of the three major special prosecutor bills will be concluded by September 14.

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