Parties divided over creation of investigative body

By Rachel Lee

The rival parties are clashing over a bill to create a body to investigate and indict high-level public officials and their family members involved in corruption cases.

While the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) want to have the bill passed during the ongoing extraordinary session of the National Assembly in a couple of weeks, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) is against it. It says a separate body could be another tool for political retaliation targeting previous governments.

During his presidential campaign, President Moon Jae-in vowed to stamp out irregularities involving ranking public servants, including the president, and their family membersby setting up a separate investigative body.

The pledge received support following the massive corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye and high-ranking government officials, some of whom were former prosecutors who could have influence on the prosecution’s investigations of corruption allegations involving them. Park was removed from office in March and is currently on trial.

There was an independent presidential investigator for such corruption, but the investigator had no power to indict and investigations could be swayed by those in power. If a separate investigative body is set up, it will play the independent presidential investigator’s role and have stronger powers.

The DPK aims to pass the bill within the extraordinary session, which was extended to Jan. 9 after the rival parties failed to hold a plenary meeting to vote on bills by the initial deadline of Dec. 23.

However, LKP floor leader Kim Sung-tae made it clear Sunday that the party remains against the investigative body and its lawmakers have had no discussions on the matter.

LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo earlier said: “They say a separate investigative body is necessary because the prosecution monopolizes the right to indict. If the new body exercises omnipotent power, should we have to make another investigative body again?”

The LKP also is concerned that the new organization may be used for political retaliation against the former ruling party. Several party lawmakers are already under investigation over allegations of corruption committed during the former Park administration.