South Korea's ruling and opposition parties have agreed in principle to establish a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of the Unification Church's political interference, but remain locked in disputes over the scope of the investigation.
The People Power Party (PPP) argues that the special prosecutor should focus on allegations that former special prosecutor Min Joong-ki conducted a politically biased investigation favoring the administration. The Democratic Party of Korea, however, dismissed this approach as "essentially refusing to conduct a special investigation" and insists that allegations of Shincheonji members joining the PPP en masse should also be investigated.
PPP Acting Chairman Jang Dong-hyuk held a press conference at the National Assembly on Saturday and clarified that the core target of the Unification Church special prosecutor should be allegations of a cover-up by former special prosecutor Min.
"The reason the public is demanding a Unification Church special prosecutor is simple," Jang said. "The Unification Church gave money to politicians in the administration, and despite testimony about the church's mass membership enrollment in the Democratic Party, special prosecutor Min turned a blind eye to this."
Jang added there are suspicions that "President Lee Jae-myung was aware of these facts and mentioned dissolving religious organizations at a Cabinet meeting to silence the matter. These two issues are the core of the special prosecutor law."
Regarding the Democratic Party's demand to include Shincheonji's alleged infiltration of the PPP in the investigation, Jang dismissed it as "a trick to make excuses and escape" and questioned whether "any facts have been clearly revealed to warrant an investigation."
He urged the Democratic Party to pass the Unification Church special prosecutor bill jointly proposed by the PPP and the Reform Party at the December 30 plenary session.
The Democratic Party pushed back against Jang's position. Kim Hyun-jung, the party's floor spokesperson, told reporters that "limiting the special prosecutor to Min's politically biased investigation essentially means not conducting one."
"All special prosecutors have transferred cases to police or prosecutors at the end when investigations were incomplete or fell outside the scope," Kim said. "The core issue of the Unification Church special prosecutor is whether the constitutional principle of separation of church and state was violated."
Kim reiterated that Shincheonji's alleged political interference should be included, noting that "this is not a vague allegation but something former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo specifically mentioned."
The two parties also remain at odds over who should nominate special prosecutor candidates. The Democratic Party proposes nominations from the Korean Bar Association, Korean Association of Law Professors, and Association of Law School Deans. The PPP objects, citing these organizations' alleged pro-government leanings, and insists the National Court Administration should make nominations.
Jang suggested that "if the Reform Party and Rebuilding Korea Party agree on a nominee, that could be another method acceptable to the public." Kim responded that "a third-party nomination method with bipartisan agreement could work," but maintained that "if judiciary-related organizations are excluded, there are no other groups to include."
The PPP plans to take "extraordinary measures" if the Democratic Party does not accept the opposition's existing proposal. Political circles are discussing possibilities including Jang conducting a joint hunger strike with Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok. The two sides negotiated for over an hour Saturday on the investigation scope and nomination process but failed to reach agreement, deciding to meet again Sunday.
The parties are also clashing over a "second comprehensive special prosecutor law" to conduct follow-up investigations on the three major special prosecutor cases involving insurrection allegations, first lady Kim Keon-hee, and the deceased Marine. The Democratic Party plans to process this bill as its "first order of business in the new year," while the PPP has vowed to counter with a filibuster.
"This is a petty election strategy to continue the insurrection narrative until next year's local elections," Jang said of the second special prosecutor proposal.
The political standoff is expected to continue through the year-end holidays.
