Song Eon-seok: "We Will Fight Every Bill With a Filibuster Until the Eight Major Ruling Party Bills Are Withdrawn"

Lee Jun-seok Proposes Special Prosecutor for Unification Church Allegations: "We Welcome It"
Despite Na Kyung-won Allegations, "Everything Must Be Investigated Transparently by Special Prosecutor"

Song Eon-seok, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated on the 11th, "We will fight back with a filibuster against every bill presented at the plenary session until the eight authoritarian bills are withdrawn." He also expressed strong support for the proposal to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations that members of the Democratic Party with ties to the Unification Church received support, as raised by Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party.

At a members' meeting held ahead of the plenary session that day, Floor Leader Song said, "The eight authoritarian bills we must stop are laws that fundamentally shake the constitutional order and destroy the Republic of Korea," reiterating his stance.

People Power Party floor leader Song Eon-seok is speaking at a members' meeting held on the 11th at the National Assembly ahead of the first plenary session of the December extraordinary session. Photo by Yonhap News

The eight bills the People Power Party has labeled as authoritarian are: ▲ the bill to establish a special court for insurrection cases, ▲ the bill to introduce the crime of distorting the law (Criminal Act amendment), ▲ the bill to increase the number of Supreme Court justices (Court Organization Act amendment), ▲ the bill to introduce a four-instance trial system (Constitutional Court Act amendment), ▲ the amendment to the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Office Act (expanding the office’s authority), ▲ the bill to restrict the installation of political party banners (Outdoor Advertising Act amendment), ▲ the bill to introduce punitive damages for YouTube content (Information and Communications Network Act amendment), and ▲ the bill to strengthen filibuster requirements (National Assembly Act amendment).

The People Power Party also plans to launch a filibuster against the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act, the Banking Act, and the Police Officers Act, which are set to be presented at the plenary session. Floor Leader Song said, "The Democratic Party has notified us that it will present and process three agenda items," adding, "We have decided to respond to all three bills with a filibuster as well."

Regarding the allegations of Democratic Party members receiving support from the Unification Church, Song criticized the resignation of Oceans and Fisheries Minister Jeon Jae-soo, saying, "Minister Jeon said he would speak upon returning to Korea, but instead he expressed his intention to resign, and the presidential office accepted it," adding, "Do not try to cut off the tail to save the body."

He then targeted Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, saying, "He claims he visited Cheonjeonggung Palace for tea at a colleague's suggestion while traveling in Gangwon Province, but Cheonjeonggung Palace, located deep in the mountains of Gangwon, is not a neighborhood teahouse. Visiting such a place without an appointment is an absurd excuse."

In response to Lee Jun-seok's proposal for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations, Song said, "It is an excellent proposal. I welcome it," adding, "A special prosecutor should be launched as soon as possible to thoroughly uncover the truth and root out the problem."

The People Power Party maintains that the truth should be uncovered through a special prosecutor even as suspicions have been raised about its own lawmaker, Na Kyung-won, being linked to the Unification Church. Choi Eun-seok, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, told reporters after the members' meeting, "Representative Na has stated that the allegations are groundless, and our position is that everything should be investigated transparently through a special prosecutor."

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