Since taking the helm of the Democratic Party after the August 17 convention, Kim Min-seok has faced the challenge of reconciling internal and external conflicts regarding key issues, including the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the coalition with the ruling party. The divide within the party over prosecutorial reform has escalated into a conflict with the Justice Innovation Party, putting Kim's political mediation skills to the test.
According to political sources, on October 6, the Democratic Party publicly opposed Kim's nomination, with hardliners within the party clashing with the Innovation Party over the relaxation of legislative group standards and supplementary investigative powers. This situation is expected to deepen the concerns of Kim, who has just surpassed 50 days in office.
Kim is currently navigating internal strife surrounding the nomination of Kim Ji-yong. On the Democratic Party's YouTube channel 'Minty07,' he stated, "There are aspects that have accepted strong demands for prosecutorial reform. If there are excessive demands that could undermine the President's leadership, it is time for the party to intervene," addressing party members who have openly opposed Kim's nomination.
Previously, Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae criticized Kim on Facebook on October 4, stating, "I never imagined a day would come when I would have to revisit the past while expecting that prosecutorial reform would cross the nine-tenths mark," referring to Kim's nomination.
Representative Kim Yong-min also expressed his dissent, saying, "It is inappropriate for someone who is the subject of reform to be appointed to a reform position. Kim has opposed the reduction of prosecutorial investigative powers and has even declared intentions to file a constitutional complaint regarding authority disputes," opposing the appointment of the former prosecutor.
Additionally, Kim faces the task of improving relations with the Innovation Party, which has been embroiled in a power struggle over the relaxation of legislative group standards and the nomination of Kim Ji-yong.
The Innovation Party initially demanded that the number of seats required for a legislative group be reduced from the current 20 to 10. However, contrary to their request, Kim proposed a threshold of 15 seats, initiating discussions on political reform that includes the relaxation of legislative group standards with the Innovation Party and other progressive parties, which sparked controversy.
In response, the Innovation Party accused Kim of misrepresenting the agreement with other parties regarding the 15-seat threshold and subsequently boycotted the 'Progressive Party Coalition Conference' convened by the Democratic Party.
Moreover, Kim must navigate the ongoing dispute over supplementary investigative powers involving the Blue House and Justice Innovation Party head Cho Kuk. The President claimed the day before, "Most advocates of prosecutorial reform, including the Innovation Party, have suggested establishing a Serious Crimes Investigation Agency within the Ministry of Justice to handle investigations and a Public Prosecution Agency for prosecutions. The essence of prosecutorial reform, the separation of investigation and prosecution, has now been completed to the extent that supplementary investigations are prohibited."
The Blue House also stated, "Cho has previously expressed that supplementary investigations should be recognized only under certain conditions. The President's post indicates that the government aims for a result that is far more advanced than the initial discussions on prosecutorial reform," suggesting that the Innovation Party also agrees on the need to revoke supplementary investigative powers.
In response to these claims, the Innovation Party quickly countered. Cho stated on Facebook that, "While my personal stance was that supplementary investigative powers could be exceptionally recognized only in 'judicial emergencies,' after the party's decision to abolish them entirely, I have maintained the position that these powers should be further strengthened and systematized."
Spokesperson Lim Myung-hee also emphasized, "Cho has consistently maintained the position to completely abolish direct supplementary investigative powers for prosecutors. The mention of exceptional supplementary investigations was limited to extreme emergency situations where judicial justice could be severely compromised," expressing deep concern over the Blue House's political maneuvers to push its agenda despite clarifying the factual situation.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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