The People Power Party has effectively stepped back from opposition battles as its internal leadership has vanished following its presidential election defeat, leading to confusion over reform proposals. Lacking proper means to counteract the ruling party's legislative push, it has adopted only 'oppositional party opinions,' and regarding the supplementary budget that the government and ruling party plan to promote, it has stated, 'We will discuss this once the government proposal is submitted.'
President Lee Jae-myung announced the special investigation laws for insurrection, Kim Keon-hee, and Chae Hae-byeong during a Cabinet meeting on the 10th. The Democratic Party passed these bills, which had been stalled in the previous administration, in a National Assembly plenary session just two days after winning the 6-3 presidential election. The Democratic Party plans to recommend candidates for the special investigation as soon as the new internal leadership is established, aiming to initiate a full-scale investigation next month.
The Democratic Party has stated its intention to swiftly pursue the preparation of the second supplementary budget. Acting party leader and floor leader Park Chan-dae said during a National Assembly strategy meeting, 'The Democratic Party will promptly consult with the government to commence the preparation of the supplementary budget.' This came after President Lee Jae-myung directed the preparation of the supplementary budget during the second meeting of the emergency economic inspection task force (TF) the previous day.
The Democratic Party established a policy to focus on projects aimed at stimulating consumption and restoring livelihoods, including consumer recovery coupons for all citizens and support for regional currency discounts, in the second supplementary budget. They projected that more than 21 trillion won would be needed.
The People Power Party has not issued an official stance on the supplementary budget at the party level. Kim Yong-tae, the Emergency Response Committee chairman, expressed concerns during a meeting with Lee Sang-ho, chief of the political affairs office, saying, 'Distributing cash and unconditional debt relief would thoroughly alienate citizens who have been living earnestly, and if they think relief will come just by waiting, it could send a misleading signal.'
During the National Assembly strategy meeting that day, concerns about the opposition's populist supplementary budget formulation were raised, but it has been reported that no appropriate countermeasures were established. Discussions on the composition of the Special Committee on Budget & Accounts, which is responsible for reviewing the supplementary budget proposal, have yet to take place. The terms of the existing committee members ended last May. A key insider from the People Power Party remarked, '(Once the government submits the supplementary budget proposal), we will need to discuss (review directions, etc.).'
On the same day, regarding the methods of opposition battles related to the announcement of the three special investigations, floor spokesperson Park Su-min noted, 'There was at least minimal justification for the special investigation when we were in the opposition. However, now we can directly command the prosecution to carry out investigations. The special investigation would waste hundreds of billions of won. We will explain this point to the public.' The People Power Party had only adopted 'oppositional party opinions' during the passage of the three special investigations in the plenary session on the 5th, without taking any additional actions such as holding a condemnation rally.
In the political arena, there are analyses suggesting that the power of opposition lending is inevitably weakening as the internal leadership has effectively stepped back after the presidential election defeat and there is no proper center of gravity within the party. Additionally, the pro-ruling coalition holds 190 seats, granting them the capability to legislate unilaterally as well as the power to request the president's reconsideration, leaving the leading opposition party, the People Power Party, with no means to resist. A filibuster can be enacted to obstruct legislation, but it can end after just 24 hours if more than three-fifths of the attending members agree, making it limited. The People Power Party is left with no choice but to appeal to public opinion.
In this situation, the ruling party's legislative monopoly has been predicted to continue. Although the Democratic Party canceled the National Assembly plenary session scheduled for the 12th, it still reveals its intention to push forward with the so-called 'bulletproof three laws.' The 'bulletproof three laws' include: a modification to the Criminal Procedure Act that stops ongoing criminal trials upon presidential election, an amendment to the Public Official Election Act that removes 'acts' from the criteria for the crime of false information disclosure, and a revision of the Court Organization Act, which focuses on increasing the current number of Supreme Court justices from 14.