Democratic Occasion chief Jung Chung-rae speaks at a gathering of the ruling celebration’s Supreme Council on the Nationwide Meeting on Dec. 22, 2025. (Kim Gyoung-ho/Hankyoreh)
South Korea’s ruling Democratic Occasion stated on Monday that it will endorse a transfer to determine a particular counsel to research allegations that the Unification Church was participating in illicit lobbying of politicians.
The choice marks a reversal from the celebration’s earlier opposition to an unbiased investigation, arguing as lately as Sunday that it will wait to see what the police investigation into the allegations discovered.
The about-face stems from surging public opinion in favor of a particular counsel investigation into alleged back-scratching by the spiritual group and the celebration having decided that an unbiased investigation won’t damage the Democrats.
Democratic Occasion chief Jung Chung-rae addressed the difficulty throughout a gathering of the Nationwide Meeting’s Supreme Council on Monday.
“I feel there isn’t something we will’t deal with,” he stated. “I feel it’s good to show over each stone, particularly if it entails anybody within the Folks Energy Occasion. That’s what the individuals need.”
“Let’s reveal how the Unification Church interfered in politics up to now presidential election,” the Democratic chief stated.
Democratic Occasion flooring chief Kim Byung-kee additionally backed the particular counsel push.
“I suggest a particular counsel to research all politicians, no matter ruling or opposition celebration affiliation,” he stated. “Connections between the church and the federal government that violate the Structure, unlawful bribes, lobbying, and influence-peddling ought to all be subjected to the particular counsel investigation. Let’s uncover all of it.”
Up till yesterday, the Democratic Occasion had been adamantly against initiating a particular counsel investigation, with Chung saying the celebration “won’t ever take into account forming a particular counsel, neither is such consideration even price it.”
Concerning this 180, the celebration stated it mirrored the overwhelming public demand for such a particular counsel and “changes between the celebration and the presidential workplace,” in line with spokesperson Park Soo-hyun.
After the Democratic Occasion introduced its intentions to again a particular counsel investigation, flooring chief Kim Byung-kee and chief deputy flooring chief Moon Ji-seog met with their Folks Energy Occasion counterparts, flooring chief Tune Eon-seog and chief deputy flooring chief Kim Eun-hye, to debate the push for a particular counsel.
After the dialogue, Moon addressed reporters, saying, “We have now agreed to subject our respective payments concerning the Unification Church particular counsel and seek the advice of to make sure it’s applied on a bipartisan foundation.”
Kim Byung-kee stated that the invoice for the particular counsel might be launched to the Nationwide Meeting as quickly as Tuesday. “We’re hoping that the respective payments from the Democratic Occasion and others can shortly be launched in order that the particular counsel can get to work earlier than the top of the yr.”
On yesterday, the PPP and minor conservative Reform Occasion co-sponsored a invoice to provoke a particular counsel investigation. That invoice granted a 3rd celebration the authority to advocate candidates to function particular counsel, and set the scope of the investigation as encompassing allegations that the Unification Church supplied money and items to politicians on either side of the aisle.
In the meantime on Monday, the Democratic Occasion submitted a invoice to permit for a second spherical of the “Large 3” particular counsels investigations that had been initiated earlier this yr — that investigating the Dec. 3 martial regulation disaster, that investigating malfeasance by former first girl Kim Keon-hee, and that investigating attainable outdoors stress on an investigation into the loss of life of a Marine — which have are nearing the top of their statutorily required interval of investigation. The invoice is geared toward permitting any remaining allegations to be investigated.
The Democrats seem to imagine that signing on to the opposition-led invoice to enact a particular counsel to look into the Unification Church’s alleged quid professional quo with political figures, will lend it the political momentum to pursue a second spherical of the three main particular counsel investigations.
By Ki Min-do, workers reporter; Kim Hae-jeong, workers reporter
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