Deadlocked: Why the nation has yet to pass a Sewol bill
Members of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) including floor leader Park Young-sun, front, hold a street rally, urging the ruling Saenuri Party to accept its proposal to form a three-way dialogue channel on the “Sewol bill” at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap
Panel’s authority, makeup among points of contention
By Kang Seung-woo
The current standoff over the disputed “special bill for the Sewol tragedy” boils down to whether to give a special committee extrajudicial authority to investigate the ferry disaster and indict those suspected of being responsible.
Plus, who should choose a special counsel is at the center of the protracted dispute, setting the ruling Saenuri Party on one hand against the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy and the victims’ families on the other.
While moving toward establishing the truth behind the nation’s worst peacetime tragedy, the three sides have been fighting over the content of the special bill, with the opposition side eventually boycotting the parliament.
The victims’ families demanded that the right to investigate and indict those responsible for the sinking be granted for the special committee to thoroughly investigate the cause of the disaster, but the ruling Saenuri Party strongly opposed to the idea, describing it “against the law and unacceptable.”
After a parliamentary standoff that has lasted for weeks, the rival camps agreed to a deal to pass a special bill on Aug. 7.
The envisioned bipartisan agreement calls for the establishment of a fact-finding committee comprised of members recommended by the parties and the victims’ families.
However, there are no powers to investigate and indict those responsible for the accident.
Instead, the two parties agreed to appoint a special counsel to lead an independent investigation into the ferry sinking.
However, these efforts turned out to be fruitless after the families rejected the deal that deprives the panel of the right to prosecute those who neglected their duties.
Critics also said that they cannot trust the special counsel who will be appointed by the president.
Amid rising criticism, the NPAD managed to bring the Saenuri Party to the negotiation table again and struck another deal on Aug. 19 that allows the ruling side to pick two members of the seven-member panel that would appoint candidates for an independent prosecutor — although the party needs to gain approval for its panelists from the opposition party and the bereaved families.
Under the law, the ruling and main opposition parties should each select two members for the panel, which then recommends two special counsel candidates to the president. The president appoints one of the two.
However, the families rejected it again, insisting that the ruling party should not be allowed to select any of the seven-member panel to be tasked with choosing a special counsel.
NPAD floor leader Park Young-sun proposed Sunday to form a three-way dialogue channel, but the Saenuri Party rejected this offer, calling it a challenge to representative democracy.
As a result, the NPAD began a sit-in protest Tuesday in front of the National Assembly to press President Park and the ruling party to meet the demands of the relatives of the ferry victims.
On Wednesday, both parties held separate meetings with victims’ families to break a political impasse over the bill.
The 6,825-ton Sewol ferry carrying 476 passengers capsized off the southwestern coast on April 16 and the disaster left 294 people dead and 10 others missing.
Although the vessel sank due mainly to excess cargo plus strong currents, the government’s botched initial rescue operation made the tragedy one of the nation’s deadliest maritime accidents and forced President Park Geun-hye to issue an apology to the nation.