People Power Party: "Democratic Party Breaks Special Prosecutor Bill Agreement... Overturned Before the Ink Dried"

Opposition: "What is the value of the floor leader and senior deputy?"

On September 11, the People Power Party announced that the Democratic Party of Korea had unilaterally notified them of the breakdown of the so-called "three major special prosecutor bills (insurrection, Kim Kun-hee, Chae Sang-byeong)" amendment, which had been agreed upon by the floor leaders of both parties the previous day.

Kim Byung-ki, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Song Eon-seok, floor leader of the People Power Party, are meeting on the 10th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Yoo Sang-bum, Senior Deputy Floor Leader of the People Power Party, met with reporters at the National Assembly that morning and said, "This morning, the Democratic Party finally conveyed their position that they cannot implement the agreement due to internal conflicts and backlash from party members."

Yoo went on to say, "The agreement between the floor leaders was reached after six hours of difficult negotiations, but if the agreement is overturned before the ink is even dry, I do not understand the value of the Democratic Party's floor leader or senior deputy. If the floor leader cannot uphold an agreement, does it mean that in the future, any agreement by the Democratic Party’s floor leader requires approval from Representative Jeong Cheong-rae to be implemented?"

He further criticized, "Is Jeong Cheong-rae the only one in charge in the Democratic Party? Is he the only member of the Democratic Party?" He added, "From the perspective of the People Power Party, this is deeply regrettable, and we now have doubts about whether future agreements between floor leaders can be reached."

Previously, Kim Byung-ki, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Song Eon-seok, floor leader of the People Power Party, had agreed on an amendment to the three major special prosecutor bills after two meetings the previous day. Under the agreement, the Democratic Party would not extend the special prosecutor’s investigation period and would only add the minimum necessary personnel, while the People Power Party would refrain from filibustering (unlimited debate).

However, due to internal backlash within the Democratic Party, the agreement collapsed, making it unlikely that the amendment to the three major special prosecutor bills will pass. This also casts doubt on cooperation regarding the Financial Supervisory Commission establishment bill, which was premised on the agreement.