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Park Hong-keun, the Democratic Party’s floor leader in the National Assembly, speaks at a policy coordination meeting on April 21. (pool photo)

South Korea’s Democratic Party is taking flak from all sides for resorting to various parliamentary tricks, such as arranging a fake defection from the party, to push through a bill that will strip the prosecution service of the ability to launch investigations. Critics say the party, which has a supermajority in the National Assembly, is undermining the procedural democracy mandated by law in its rush to pass the bill.

Given indications of a factional conflict in nominations for the upcoming regional elections, the Democratic Party is also facing criticism that it’s failed to reflect on its loss in the presidential election or institute needed reforms.

On Thursday, the Democratic Party reiterated its pledge to pass its prosecution reform bill before the end of April. The plan is to rush the bill through an agenda coordination panel in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and then through a full session of the committee and on to a vote on the floor of the National Assembly.

In a meeting of the party’s policy coordination committee on Thursday morning, floor leader Park Hong-keun said the party would “certainly pass a bill to normalize the prosecution service in April” and asked the speaker to “convene a full session on April 22.”

But the Democratic Party has resorted to expedients and unsavory tricks as it pushes through its legislation.

Separating the powers of investigation and indictment — both of which currently rest in the hands of the prosecutors — is a major part of the Moon administration’s policy of reforming the prosecution service. But the clock is ticking on completing that reform before the end of Moon Jae-in’s presidency, and the reform bill hasn’t been subject to adequate deliberation.

Democratic Party leadership had earlier promised to abide by the procedures laid out in the National Assembly Act. But now the party has taken the questionable measures of first installing Yang Hyang-ja, a former member of the party, on the Legislation and Judicial Committee, and then having Min Hyung-bae give up party membership on Wednesday. By seeking to control the seat on the committee’s agenda coordination panel that’s normally reserved for political independents, the party is tearing up procedural legitimacy.

“The extraordinary decisions and situational logic used to justify the complete elimination of the prosecutors’ investigative powers show that we’re once again violating principle and undermining ourselves in pursuit of a dubious goal,” wrote Park Yong-jin, a lawmaker with the Democratic Party, on Facebook.

“Even if separating the powers of investigation and indictment is a legitimate objective, the current situation — in which we’re mobilizing sketchy tactics and violating the spirit of the National Assembly Act — is no different from when we set up a fake party [during the general election] two years ago. I don’t have the confidence to tell the public that we’re doing the right thing,” said Lee So-young, a lawmaker on the party’s emergency leadership committee.

“Discussing prosecutorial reform with the public and convincing them of its necessity is the political process and the way to institute democracy. Instead of principles and the high road, the Democratic Party is currently choosing a shortcut,” said Eom Gyeong-yeong, director of the Zeitgeist Institute.

There’s also clear evidence of factional conflict leading up to nominating candidates for Korea’s local elections, scheduled for June 1.

Song Young-gil, who stepped down as head of the Democratic Party following its defeat in the presidential election, has announced his candidacy for mayor of Seoul, despite a lack of connections to the city. After the party refused to nominate him on Tuesday, Song stirred up factional division by stating that running for mayor was the wish of Lee Jae-myung, the defeated candidate in the presidential election.

Before the party’s emergency committee was supposed to reconsider its decision not to nominate him on Thursday, Song issued a “total mobilization order” to Lee Jae-myung’s supporters, whom he referred to as “the daughters of reform, the sons of conscience, and citizens who are awake.”

Lee Won-wook, head of the party’s strategic nomination management committee, wrote on Facebook that “Song Young-gil needs to immediately refrain from dirty political tricks and the divisive act of suddenly cozying up to Lee Jae-myung in an attempt to get out of a tight spot.”

Both inside and outside of the party, pundits are criticizing the Democratic Party for its incoherence and its failure to take away any lessons from its loss in the presidential election.

“The Democratic Party needs to show it has changed in the regional election. But it’s tripping over its own feet with the bickering over nominations and having a lawmaker make a fake defection. I can only imagine how ridiculous the party must look to the public,” one veteran lawmaker said.

“At the moment, Democratic Party lawmakers seem to be only concerned that they may fail to get nominated if they don’t make a name for themselves inside their factions. They aren’t showing any interest in reform or innovation,” said Choi Chang-ryul, a professor at Yong In University.

By Song Chae Kyung-hwa, staff reporter; Choi Ha-yan, staff reporter

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