Parties wrangle over Cho at Assembly audit
Seoul National University (SNU) President Oh Se-Jung, left, takes an oath before participating in a government audit of his university held on the SNU campus, Thursday. Yonhap
By Park Ji-won
Parties clashed over embattled Justice Minister Cho Kuk's daughter's internship at Seoul National University (SNU) during a government audit Thursday.
Members of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) questioned the legitimacy of a certificate claiming Cho's daughter completed an internship, claiming there are possibilities the documents were illegitimate.
Rep. Jun Hee-kyung of the LKP questioned Cho's daughter's internship record saying “Cho's daughter said she applied for an internship at the university after finding it online. But it is impossible for her to do so as there was no such opening online.”
SNU President Oh Se-Jung declined to comment on the matter saying that it is inappropriate for him to weigh in without having knowledge about it.
Rep. Kwak Sang-do of the LKP also raised an allegation that the daughter submitted a fake medical certificate to take a leave of absence from school.
Regarding the LKP member's claims, members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) defended the minister's daughter by highlighting an allegation regarding LKP floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won's son who is suspected of having received preferential treatment with his mother's help to be listed as the “first author” in a research summary for a thesis at Seoul National University.
The moves are largely considered as politicizing the education issues as leverage to allegedly distract from other issues such as the controversy over Cho's appointment and prosecutorial reform.
Meanwhile, political parties are also clashing over fast-tracking political reform bills.
Rep. Lee In-young, floor leader of the DPK, urged the LKP to join the discussion to hold a meeting between parties on Friday ― before National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang heads overseas on business trips ― to fine-tune the bills on judiciary reform including the ongoing prosecution reform which had been put on the fast track in April.
“The National Assembly can proceed with the judiciary reform bill by Oct. 29,” Lee said during a party meeting. “We still prioritize the agreement over the fast-track procedure.” Four political parties, except for the LKP, reportedly agreed to discuss it on Friday.
The move came after political parties agreed earlier this week to hold regular discussions between party leaders to normalize paralyzed legislative activities, including the discussion on the fast-tracking move and political reform.
If a bill is put on the fast track, it may be automatically voted on within 330 days without the need for bipartisan support. The time can be reduced if parties agree to vote on the bills or the speaker decides to shorten its time. The LKP has been opposing fast-tracking bills claiming it is a unilateral move by the government and ruling bloc.
Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the LKP, criticized the move. “I made it clear that the agenda should be discussed after the speaker's return,” he said. “The meeting cannot be held abruptly without preparation.”
The DPK wants to push ahead with a bill on reforming the prosecution by this month in a move to support Cheong Wa Dae's moves to seek the relevant reform while the LKP claims it should be reviewed at a relevant committee and put to a vote next year.