The main opposition People Power Party will take “extraordinary measures” if necessary to ensure that the special counsel bill proposed by conservative opposition is passed within the year, the party’s leader said Sunday.
People Power Party Chair Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok also said that the party will file a constitutional complaint to stop the establishment of a special tribunal on issues surrounding the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.
“(The purpose of) The Unification Church special counsel bill proposed by the Democratic Party is to stop the bill proposed by the opposition,” Jang said, stressing that the special counsel bill his party proposed together with the New Reform Party must be passed at the plenary session Tuesday.
“If an agreement is not reached on the 30th of this month, extraordinary measures should be taken to ensure that the bill is passed.”
The parties have agreed to launch a special counsel investigation to probe bribery allegations surrounding the Unification Church, but remain at odds over the scope of the investigation and the approval process of the special counsel.
On Tuesday, the People Power Party and the New Reform Party proposed a special counsel bill that would investigate implicated Unification Church officials and politicians, as well as special counsel Min Joong-ki. Min is a former judge who led the probe into allegations of influence peddling and election interference by former first lady Kim Keon Hee. During Min’s investigation, allegations arose that those linked to the ruling party and the Lee Jae Myung administration had illicit dealings with the Unification Church. The People Power Party accuses Min of covering up and scaling back investigations for political reasons.
The ruling Democratic Party on Friday countered with a bill that included allegations surrounding the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the scope of the special counsel. Shincheonji Church of Jesus is a splinter Christian group that also faces allegations of election interference.
Regarding the special tribunal, passed unilaterally by the ruling bloc against conservatives’ protests, Jang urged President Lee Jae Myung to veto the bill, comparing the move to those of Nazi Germany.
“I strongly urge President Lee Jae Myung to exercise his veto if the president has the will to uphold the Constitution,” Jang said.
“The final goal of the special tribunal is the disbandment of the People Power Party. As a People Power Party lawmaker has been indicted, the special tribunal seriously violated the People Power Party’s political activities.”
Jang was referring to Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, a former floor leader of the party, who the special counsel has indicted for allegedly attempting to hamper the National Assembly’s vote to nullify the martial law.
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