National Assembly engulfed by political strife over justice minister
President Moon Jae-in took office in May 2017 vowing to heal the nation’s deep divide following the impeachment of his predecessor. Slightly more than two years later, his decision to appoint his trusted aide Cho Kuk as justice minister in September has caused a severe division among the people, with his cherished pledge for “national unity” sounding increasingly hollow.
Protesters in support of Moon’s push for judicial reform, led by Cho, held a rally in Seocho-dong and other parts of the country over the weekend to show their support for the scandal-ridden justice minister, while those against him took to the streets in Gwanghwamun in central Seoul. Some 300 protesters even spent the night near Cheong Wa Dae, calling on the President to dismiss Cho amid the prosecution’s widening investigation into his wife and family members for alleged corruption and other illegalities.
The controversy over Cho has also led to an escalating political battle between the ruling bloc in defense of the justice minister, and the opposition parties.
Criticism has surged against the National Assembly for focusing more on political strife and creating division among citizens. Insiders say this undermines the role of the Assembly in addressing the real issues regarding the people, and weakens the country’s parliamentary democracy.
Rep. Lee Hae-chan, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), criticized the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Friday, for ignoring the damage from Typhoon Mitag, which killed six people. “The LKP gave up being a political party by focusing on holding protests when there were hundreds of victims in constituencies affected by the typhoon which is a national disaster,” Lee said during a party meeting.
The remarks came one day after the LKP and conservative groups held large street rallies in Gwanghwamun Square, northern Seoul, calling for Cho to resign. Following the rally, Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the LKP, pledged that his party will not stop fighting unless President Moon decides to remove Cho.
This is not the first time the LKP has begun street protests to show its opposition to the government since Hwang took charge of the party in February. Hwang and fellow lawmakers shaved their heads in front of the presidential office, calling for Cho’s resignation.
The minor ultra-rightist Our Republican Party has been holding street rallies every week for months calling for the release of the imprisoned former President Park Geunhye.
National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang criticized the political parties for not focusing on their duties and holding street rallies instead. He was quoted by his spokesman Han Min-soo as saying, “Citizens have high expectations on the parliament and political activities. I think [politicians] gave up paying attention to the people’s livelihood and are focusing on power games between the parties. The Assembly should be a melting pot to dissolve conflicts and confrontation. I am worried about the current political situation which ignites them.”
Some insiders point out that the continued street demonstrations have been somewhat anticipated since the candlelit protests against the former Park administration had an important role in the creation of the current administration. “The Moon Jae-in administration was created with the candlelit protests,” a DPK lawmaker said. “Citizens are aware of the impact of public rallies underlined by this administration,” a DPK lawmaker said.
The political parties are holding the rallies to take advantage of the situation before the general election in April 2020, according to some analysts.
Shortcomings with audits
The parties’ focus on the Cho scandal has also undermined the effectiveness of annual Assembly audits.
The National Assembly has faced calls for years to overhaul its annual audit because it fails to properly assess hundreds of government bodies ranging from ministries and their subordinate organizations to state-run firms.
The 2019 audit, which started Oct. 2, is unlikely to be an exception, as lawmakers are excessively focused on scandal-ridden Justice Minister Cho Kuk instead of covering other major areas.
The audit is held for 20 days every year, but the amount of time is seen as a major shortcoming because it is too short for a thorough inspection of government activities for the previous year.
The case is more extreme this year as more than 800 organizations — the highest in the audit history — are subject to the audit.
“I’d say the audit only scratches the surface of issues that need to be brought up to the public,” said Se Jung-wook, a lawyer who doubles as a political commentator. “It’s virtually impossible to inspect that many organizations in less than a three week.”
At least nine of the Assembly’s 17 standing committees oversee organizations that are linked to the Cho-related corruption scandal that encompasses college admission fraud by his daughter and the suspicious assets management.
The nine deal with issues on the judiciary, education, finance, ICT, public administration, trade, welfare and foreign affairs, and may have insufficient time to deal with other urgent topics.
The audit this year also reveals anther chronic shortcoming - the summoning of an excessive number of witnesses without any clear explanations.
For instance, members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party have summoned 69 witnesses who are allegedly involved in the Cho allegations.
The number is separate from 200 entrepreneurs including those from Samsung and other top conglomerates who are to be summoned throughout the end of the audit, Oct. 21.
The National Assembly Law does not require lawmakers to give their reasons for summoning witnesses.
“Such a practice is an excessive use of legislative power that must stop,” said a political commentator who only wanted to be addressed by his surname Lee.