ED DPK's turnaround on Unification Church
Rep. Jung Chung-rae, left, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, smiles as floor leader Kim Byung-kee speaks to him during the party's decision-making Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly Monday. Yonhap
Parties must closely work together to thoroughly uncover truth
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has agreed on the need to introduce an independent counsel to investigate allegations that the Unification Church lobbied and bribed politicians to influence policymaking processes.
This is a welcome development. The ruling party should work closely with opposition parties to select a suitable independent counsel who can conduct a thorough investigation so that the truth about politicians’ alleged collusive ties to the controversial religious group can be uncovered. Those found responsible should face appropriate legal consequences.
The DPK’s announcement came as a surprise. Until Sunday, the party had maintained staunch opposition to appointing an independent counsel to probe the church’s political influence, arguing that the police were already investigating the case and that the National Assembly should wait for the results.
However, the DPK shifted its stance abruptly on Monday during a meeting of its decision-making Supreme Council.
DPK Chairman Rep. Jung Chung-rae said there was no longer any justification for rejecting calls for an independent counsel to investigate the Unification Church’s alleged connections with politicians. “Earlier, I refused to accept the call to introduce an independent counsel, but I changed my mind because our party has no good reason to reject it,” he said. “It would be appropriate to investigate all politicians — including PPP lawmakers — to determine whether they had links with the church.”
Rep. Kim Byung-kee, the DPK's floor leader, echoed Chung’s remarks. “It seems the PPP misunderstood our intention,” he said. “They appear to believe that our party rejected their proposal for a special prosecutor because we have suspicious connections with the Unification Church, which is not true.”
Kim added that the DPK has nothing to lose from an independent investigation into potential ties between politicians and the church. “(Former President) Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee have been found to have ties with the Unification Church and are accused of maintaining illegal connections with the group,” he said. “It remains to be seen whether those ties influenced Yoon’s decisions on state affairs. We should also examine whether the church intervened in the last presidential election.”
It remains unclear why the DPK changed its position. However, the party likely felt mounting pressure from public opinion in favor of appointing an independent counsel. A Gallup Korea poll released last week found that 60 percent of the public supports introducing an independent counsel to investigate the Unification Church’s alleged connections with politicians. Notably, support was even higher among DPK supporters, with 67 percent saying an independent counsel should be appointed to probe the allegations. The weekly poll was conducted over three days from Dec. 16 to 18 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Interparty dynamics may also have influenced the DPK leadership’s shift. On Sunday, the People Power Party (PPP) and the minor Reform Party agreed to jointly push for a motion to appoint an independent counsel to investigate the Unification Church. Under their proposal, the Supreme Court would recommend two candidates, from whom President Lee Jae Myung would select one to serve as the independent counsel.
However, the two parties lack the numbers to pass the motion on their own. The PPP holds 107 seats and the Reform Party has only three, falling short of a simple majority in the 300-seat National Assembly. The ruling DPK, by contrast, controls 166 seats. Even so, the PPP–Reform Party alliance can be seen as responding, at least in part, to public demands for an independent investigation.
The road ahead remains bumpy. For a bipartisan agreement to succeed, the two major parties — the DPK and the PPP — must agree on both the candidate selection process and who will make the final appointment. It remains uncertain whether the DPK will accept the framework agreed upon by the PPP and the Reform Party. If the two sides fail to narrow their differences, the motion to appoint an independent counsel will remain vulnerable.
The influence-peddling scandal involving politicians and the Unification Church is a pivotal issue that demands clarity. The truth must be uncovered. Political parties should take a long-term view and prioritize the public interest over partisan considerations. To that end, they must cooperate to move the motion forward.