Ruling and Opposition Parties Agree to Proceed with Special Inspector Appointment Process, Convene Plenary Session on the 23rd

Agreement Reached at 2+2 Luncheon Between Ruling and Opposition Parties

Opposition Demands Retraction of Long-Term Holding Tax Deduction Abolition and Dismissal of Chung Dongyoung

The ruling and opposition parties have agreed to proceed with the appointment process for the special inspector, a key presidential campaign pledge of President Lee Jae-myung. They also decided to convene a plenary session of the National Assembly on April 23 to address public livelihood and national policy bills.

Han Byung-do, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party, Song Eon-seok, Floor Leader of the People Power Party, Chun Joon-ho, Senior Deputy Floor Leader of the Democratic Party, and Yoo Sang-bum, Senior Deputy Floor Leader of the People Power Party, announced the agreement after a '2+2 lunch meeting' near Yeouido on April 20.

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Han Byung-do, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party, and Song Eon-seok, Floor Leader of the People Power Party, are having a lunch meeting at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul on April 20, 2026. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group.

Yoo, the Senior Deputy Floor Leader, added, "Of the topics discussed today, what we can say has been agreed upon is that both parties will consult and handle the appointment process for the special inspector, and that we will cooperate to process as many non-contentious public livelihood bills as possible at the plenary session on the 23rd."

The special inspector is responsible for investigating corruption involving the president's relatives and senior aides at the level of chief presidential secretaries and above. The position has remained vacant for ten years, spanning the administrations of Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk-yeol.

Regarding the nomination procedure for the special inspector, Chun, the Senior Deputy Floor Leader, explained that they would refer to the previous method, in which a total of three candidates were recommended—one each by the ruling party, the opposition party, and the Bar Association—and the president would select one from among them.

Additionally, Yoo stated, "(The People Power Party) strongly demanded that the ruling party withdraw its stance on abolishing the long-term holding special deduction and called for the dismissal of Unification Minister Chung Dong-young."

Recently, the People Power Party criticized President Lee Jae-myung for publicly rebutting opposition to the abolition of the long-term holding special deduction for real estate capital gains tax.

Furthermore, the party called for the dismissal of Minister Chung after he publicly mentioned Kusong City in North Pyongan Province as North Korea's third nuclear facility, which led to a partial suspension of U.S. intelligence sharing with North Korea.

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