National Assembly's special committee for government investigation expected to begin next month

[Anchor]

On December 11, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik proposed a national investigation into the emergency martial law situation.

Investigations into the emergency martial law are already being conducted competitively by the prosecution, police, and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.

Additionally, the National Assembly has passed a permanent special prosecutor law, and the recommendation process for the special prosecutor is underway, while the general special prosecutor law is awaiting deliberation and decision by the Cabinet.

With the National Assembly also pushing for a national investigation, the situation regarding the emergency martial law investigation and inquiry is becoming more complicated.

The national investigation has the advantage of revealing the truth of matters of public interest through open inquiry.

However, there are concerns about whether the national investigation, which lacks compulsory investigative powers, can yield results in a situation already marked by overlapping investigations and controversies over investigative efficiency.

Reporter Lee Seung-jae reports.

[Report]

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik has notified the ruling and opposition parties to submit a list of members for the National Assembly's special committee on the emergency martial law situation.

The plan is to gather opinions on the special committee member list and investigation targets by December 20), and to vote on the national investigation plan at the plenary session on the 27th, with the aim of starting operations as early as next month.

The seriousness of the martial law situation is emphasized, and the National Assembly plans to conduct its own investigation as a directly affected institution.

Earlier, Speaker Woo mentioned the necessity of public testimony from President Yoon.

If the special committee selects him as a witness, he must attend, and if he does not, they can use the power of summons to bring him to testify.

However, there are concerns that there is no way to enforce attendance if he does not comply with the summons.

The People Power Party also argues that since investigations by the prosecution and police are ongoing, it could hinder the investigation or reduce its effectiveness.

[Park Hyeung-soo/People Power Party Floor Leader/Yesterday: "When investigations are ongoing, witnesses often do not attend. And even if they do, they mostly refuse to testify, so is this really effective?"]

The Democratic Party, on the other hand, is determined to proceed independently for the public's right to know.

[Hwang Jung-a/Democratic Party Spokesperson: "The six parties, excluding the People Power Party, have already submitted a request for a national investigation. The People Power Party opposed it. Therefore, we will ensure that the national investigation proceeds without any setbacks...."]

A national investigation can be conducted if requested by at least one-fourth of the members of the National Assembly, so it can commence even without the participation of the People Power Party.

This is KBS News, Lee Seung-jae.