With the end drawing near for the investigation on President Park Geun-hye’s corruption allegations, tension peaked Monday among rival political parties on whether to grant an extra month to the special prosecutors’ team.

The opposition claims the investigators need more time to dig into key charges, especially those involving the recently arrested Samsung Group chief Lee Jae-yong. The ruling conservative camp, on the other hand, asserts that the investigation team has a “political motivation” in asking for more time.

But the real underlying issue is that investigators, if they are granted an extra month, may have a chance of summoning Park after the Constitutional Court’s impeachment decision, as a former state chief, no longer as an incumbent one with presidential immunity.

In defense of the embattled president, the ruling conservative Liberty Korea Party on Monday adopted an official statement opposing the extension.

“It is up to Prime Minister (and acting President) Hwang Kyo-ahn to decide, but our party decided to stand against the extension of the investigation,” Floor Leader Rep. Chung Woo-taik told reporters after the party’s general meeting.

The investigation team, led by independent counsel Park Young-soo, is to end its term next Tuesday but may gain an extra month for its investigation upon the approval of the acting president.

The ruling party’s statement came in response to the opposition parties’ call the previous day for the acting president to approve the extension by Tuesday.

The four opposition parties, including the ruling party’s splinter Bareun Party, also intend to revise the independent counsel law in order to prolong the 70-day investigation period to 120 days, but such legislation is likely to be thwarted by the ruling party.

Their intention is to allow the investigators to dig into unsolved key issues, especially Samsung chief Lee’s bribery allegations connected to President Park and her confidante Choi Soon-sil.

The extension plan also reflects the investigation team’s hope to summon the suspended president for a face-to-face questioning, a move which would become more plausible if the court upholds the impeachment.

So far, Park and the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae have been out of the investigators’ reach, largely due to the president’s immunity to forceful summoning and the Blue House’s role in national security. But once ousted from her elected post, Park will no longer hold such powers and consequently face questioning as a former president.

The opposition also chose to close in on the prime minister who, despite his passivity on the issue, is also facing public pressure to cooperate in the corruption investigation.

“We sternly warn that (Hwang) will be blamed for acting as accomplice (to President Park), unless he consents to extend the special investigation,” said Rep. Choo Mi-ae, chief of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

The Bareun Party’s spokesperson Rep. Oh Shin-hwan also said the acting president should bear political liability for dismissing calls for a thorough investigation.

The dilemma for Hwang, however, is that he is bound to face criticism either way.

While the majority of the public is asking for an extension of the investigation, the ruling party and conservative voter pool have a greater influence upon Hwang, whose bid in the upcoming presidential race is highly anticipated.

As of Monday, a survey by pollster Realmeter showed his support rating stands at 14.8 percent, the highest among conservative figures.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)