Conservatives join forces to attack ruling party

Reps. Jang Dong-hyeok (left) and Lee Jun-seok, who chair the People Power Party and Reform Party, respectively, walk side by side at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Two conservative opposition parties have teamed up to push for two special counsel bills that would investigate figures connected to the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, apparently looking to draw public attention to the issue despite the slim chances of the legislation passing.

People Power Party Chair Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok and Reform Party Chair Rep. Lee Jun-seok agreed in a meeting Tuesday morning to cooperate on a special counsel bill to investigate allegations of bribery involving former and current Democratic Party lawmakers.

Lawmakers associated with the ruling party facing bribery allegations include former Floor Leader Kim Byung-kee and Rep. Kang Sun-woo. Allegations include taking bribes and interfering in party candidate nominations. Kim currently faces the risk of being ejected from the party, while Kang has voluntarily left the party, but was later expelled.

Another special counsel bill will be designed to look into cross-party allegations that politicians had taken illegal funds from the Unification Church.

They also called for a truth-finding probe into allegations that Lee Jae Myung administration influenced the prosecution's decision not to appeal a high-profile criminal case in November concerning a land corruption scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The incumbent president was the mayor of Seongnam at the time, and faces widespread suspicion of involvement.

The two opposition parties' cooperation, however, is unlikely to immediately lead to the bills' passage as they do not have a majority in the 300-seat National Assembly. The People Power Party has 107 lawmakers, and the Reform Party occupies three seats.

But such legislative gestures could still allow the parties to gain a strategic advantage, even if the Democratic Party votes them down.

The two conservative parties may continue to propose the bills repeatedly, said People Power Party media spokesperson Park Min-young, which he said would mirror the Democratic Party's repeated legislative actions that were vetoed by the former conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol.

"What the opposition parties can do is engage in the public opinion warfare," he said.

Jeong Yi-han, spokesperson of the Reform Party, also said the public "will clearly pass judgment" on the Democratic Party if it keeps on refusing to cooperate over the opposition-led agenda despite their compelling proposals.

In response to opposition parties' cooperation, Rep. Kim Hyun-jung, floor spokesperson of the Democratic Party, described the two leaders' announcement as "nothing but a mere declaration to amplify political strife."

"A special counsel is a last resort to uncovering the truth, not a glue to allow (the two parties') political collusion," the lawmaker said, adding the special counsel into political parties' connection with religious sects are unnecessary because it could overlap with the probe currently being carried out by the prosecution and police.

Democratic Party senior deputy spokesperson Park Chang-jin called the proposed bills "selective," saying they were designed to distract the public from their parties' misdeeds.

Another focal point is whether the minor Rebuilding Korea Party, which has 12 lawmakers, would reverse its stance of not joining the two right-wing parties.

Rebuilding Korea Party Chair Cho Kuk said on Facebook on Monday that the proposal to investigate Democratic Party-related scandals will merely "open up the People Power Party's path to escape."

Lee of the Reform Party played down speculation that the two leaders' cooperation could lead to a more lasting coalition.

Lee, who was chair of People Power Party when ex-President Yoon won the presidential election in 2022, said in a radio interview Monday that cooperation and coalition are two different concepts, adding that talks for coalition will not start until the cooperation comes into fruition.

Later on Tuesday, the two conservative party leaders were scheduled to meet National Assembly Speaker Rep. Woo Won-shik to protest unilateral legislative action by the Democratic Party.