South Korea's ruling and main opposition parties are headed for another clash over a bill proposing a new special counsel to look into indictments filed against President Lee Jae Myung before he took office.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's Tuesday decision to push the bill was met with immediate backlash from the main opposition People Power Party.
Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, floor leader of the People Power Party, said his party will hold a filibuster for every bill tabled at Thursday's plenary session if the Democratic Party proceeds with its plan to table the special counsel bill.
Jeong described the liberal rival's push to pass the special counsel bill as "an attempt to bury the trials of the President and his close aides."
The Democratic Party decided at its lawmakers' general assembly to vote for the bill along the party line at the plenary session Thursday. The party has claimed that the prosecutions were politically motivated and backed by fabricated evidence.
All eyes are on whether the proposed bill will include a clause granting the special counsel the power to cancel criminal indictments against Lee.
An earlier version of the bill drafted in April drew severe public backlash for the clause. Lee said in his press conference in September that special counsels investigating criminal indictments, including his, must be launched swiftly, and urged the ruling party to delete the clause if it continues to hinder the legislative process.
According to Rep. Kim Sung-hoi of the ruling Democratic Party, the special counsel bill will be tabled to a subcommittee of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The Democratic Party has the power to pass any bills at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the plenary session with its majority power, even if it does not earn a consensus from opposition parties.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
