Rep. Kim Yong-min from the Democratic Party of Korea, who was involved in a controversy for reporting 18 prosecutors who ‘disobeyed orders’ without seeking the party’s guidance, denied the allegations by saying, “There was contact with the floor leadership.” In response to Kim Byung-kee’s pointed comment, “The Legislation and Judiciary Committee should manage the consequences,” he replied, “We can deal with the aftermath effectively. You don’t need to be concerned about it.”
Kim, the head of the ruling party’s faction on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, mentioned on the 21st during an SBS Radio ‘Kim Tae-hyun’s News Show’ about the prosecutors’ criminal complaint matter, “There was no shortage of communication with the floor leadership.”
Members of the ruling party on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee submitted a criminal report to the police on the 19th, targeting 18 prosecutors who had objected to the withdrawal of the Daejang-dong appeal. This move sparked backlash within the party, with some stating, “The Legislation and Judiciary Committee made a decision on their own without consulting the leadership beforehand.”
In reply, Kim stated, “When we spoke with the floor leadership, we noted that the Legislation and Judiciary Committee intended to submit the complaint,” and added, “As the floor leadership deals with numerous matters, it’s possible they didn’t take this seriously or recall it.” He went on, “If we are criticized for not being more proactive in our explanations, we will accept it respectfully, but there was no total absence of communication.”
He also mentioned, “The Committee on Legislation and Judiciary held a press conference on the 14th, during which we previously disclosed our intention to submit a complaint to the police,” adding, “This was not unexpected; we had clearly conveyed our plans beforehand.”
Kim also asserted that the prosecutors’ criminal complaint reflected the party leadership’s ‘extremely strict approach’ toward the prosecution. He mentioned, “(The leadership) indicated they would employ all legal actions, and the floor leadership even suggested a bill to eliminate the Prosecutors’ Discipline Act,” and noted, “In line with the party’s existing position and direction, we simply held a press conference on that day to file the complaint.”
Concerning Kim Byung-kee’s unease with the Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s independent actions and his statement, “The consequences should be managed by them,” Kim replied, “We can deal with the aftermath effectively. You don’t have to be concerned about that.”
The leadership of the Democratic Party is said to believe that certain lawmakers’ hasty actions while President Lee Jae-myung was abroad should not detract from the president’s successful diplomatic efforts. Inside the party, there are also complaints that the Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s complaint has interfered with the leadership’s current national investigation in Daejang-dong. This is because prosecutors are now more inclined to decline to provide testimony during the inquiry, referencing criminal cases.
