DP DENOUNCES PROSECUTOR GENERAL

[Anchor Lead]

Despite prosecutors’ strong opposition, the Democratic Party is actively moving to legislate a law on depriving the prosecution of its investigative power within this month. The current ruling party denounced Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo for his remarks that abolishing the prosecution’s investigative power violates the Constitution.

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A day after adopting a push to deprive the prosecution of its investigative power as an official party policy, the leadership of the Democratic Party visited the Daejeon National Cemetery. They called on Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo to review the Constitution again, criticizing him for saying that the ruling party’s move is unconstitutional.

[Soundbite] Yoon Ho-jung(DP Emergency Committee Co-chair) : "In the Constitution, only one clause specifies the prosecution’s power. It is about prosecutors’ right to request warrants."

He referred to the constitutional clause stipulating that in order to make arrests or conducts raids, it is necessary to present a warrant a judge issued at the request of prosecutors. The ruling party aims to discuss the decision at the parliamentary judiciary committee next week and have a related bill approved at the National Assembly’s plenary session scheduled late this month. But the opposition People Power Party is now vowing to stage a filibuster to block the ruling party’s move. So in order to reach the quorum of 180 lawmakers that is needed to pass the bill, the Democratic Party is now reviewing two options. One is persuading the minor opposition Justice Party to join. The other is splitting the parliamentary session term. When a parliamentary session ends during a filibuster, the debate is declared finished. While pledging to block the ruling party’s move by all means, the People Power Party is highlighting that the bill's real purpose is to guard and protect Moon Jae-in and Lee Jae-myung.

[Soundbite] Kweon Seong-dong(PPP Floor Leader) : "The ruling party should offer reasonable explanations about why it is claiming that the prosecution reformation is still incomplete, which it has pursued over a year."

The rival parties clashed over the issue today at a general meeting of the parliamentary judiciary committee, which was attended by Justice Minister Park Beom-kye.