Ruling Party Criticized for Framing Fatal Accident Law as Political Maneuvering
Although the Democratic Party of Korea announced that the National Assembly audit starting on the 6th would proceed as a 'livelihood and policy audit,' contentious issues remain on which the ruling and opposition parties are set to clash politically, such as the confirmation hearing for Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to be the first chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. At the party's Supreme Council meeting on the 2nd, Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do took aim at the People Power Party's outdoor rally, saying, "They are pushing a one-stop political warfare package when even preparing a one-stop livelihood package for the audit would not be enough," and urged both parties to "join in the livelihood, policy, and accountability audit."
Within the Democratic Party, calls for scrutiny of the nominee continue as well. Rep. Park Ju-min said on CBS Radio's 'Park Sung-tae's News Show' that day, "Is it right for someone who opposed the separation of investigation and prosecution to become the first head of an agency born as a result of that separation?" arguing that a thorough vetting is necessary.
On the 1st, the National Assembly, led by the Democratic Party, passed a revision to the Occupational Safety and Health Act at a plenary session, imposing fines of up to 5 percent of business profits on employers whose safety violations resulted in the deaths of three or more workers in the past year. The People Power Party opposed the bill, arguing the fines are excessive. Consideration of a revision to the Urban Redevelopment Act was postponed for further talks between the two parties.
Democratic Party chief spokeswoman Lee Joo-hee said in a phone call with The Dailian that each standing committee would be guided to pose policy questions genuinely needed by the public. Regarding controversial bills, she said there would be no particular problem since no plenary sessions will be held during the audit period. However, after the audit, discussions on shelved contentious bills such as the Special Prosecutor Act on Fabricated Prosecutions could resume.
