Assembly committee passes bill on removing opposition's veto power over new investigative body

All News 15:51 December 08, 2020

SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Yonhap) -- A parliamentary committee on Tuesday passed a bill that would strip the opposition of its power to frustrate the process to launch a new agency investigating high-profile corruption cases.

The Legislation and Judiciary Committee, where the ruling Democratic Party (DP) controls a majority, railroaded the bill to revise the act on the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).

The revision bill aims to lower the bar on picking candidates for the inaugural CIO chief, as the opposition's veto has stalled the process to officially launch the new investigative organ.

The installation of the CIO is a core part of President Moon Jae-in's determined drive to reform the country's powerful institutions, especially the state prosecution service, which has often been accused of abusing its power to prosecute as well as investigate cases.

People Power Party lawmakers on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee encircle committee chairman Rep. Yun Ho-jung as he is about to pass a bill on revising the act on the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on Dec. 8, 2020. (Yonhap)

If the revision bill is approved by the National Assembly's plenary session, the CIO chief recommendation committee would need assent from at least five of its seven members, not six, to name candidates, potentially bypassing two opposition-side members of the panel.

Due to their veto, the recommendation committee failed to produce an agreed-upon list of candidates through its three rounds of meetings last month.

The bill would also allow the committee to immediately resume its stalled recommendation process, as the DP is aiming to put the CIO into operation within this year.

A throng of PPP lawmakers gathered around the entrance to the committee meeting room, chanting slogans in protest of the unilateral passage.

PPP lawmakers on the parliamentary committee accused the committee chair, DP Rep. Yun Ho-jung, of "stealing" the revision bill and "parliamentary dictatorship."

PPP has further threatened to stage a filibuster campaign to paralyze the plenary session set for Wednesday as the DP is rushing to pass a set of "reform legislation" -- the revision bill as well as bills on restructuring the police and the state spy agency, the National Intelligence Service -- through the National Assembly within this week.