Recently in the Democratic Party, a text message floor leader Kim Byung-kee sent to a ruling-party supporter has become a talking point. It is related to some Democratic Party lawmakers on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee filing complaints, without consulting the party leadership, against 18 chief prosecutors who protested the prosecution's decision to drop its appeal in the Daejang-dong case. After Kim told those lawmakers they would "have to deal with the fallout," the text message was made public.
Floor leader Kim Byung-kee's text message was made public on the 20th on "Lee Jae-myung Does It DC Inside Gallery," a pro-Lee Jae-myung online community.
First, a supporter asked, "Can't the floor leadership take the lead in introducing a dedicated insurrection panel of judges?"
Kim replied, "We will handle the dedicated insurrection panel of judges issue while the party, government and presidential office communicate closely. You don't need to worry too much." He then added a pointed remark.
"The claims of some lawmakers who are trying to do their own politics under the pretext of hard-line views do not help solve the problem at all. To put it bluntly, it only looks like an attempt to avoid responsibility for what they have said so far."
Kim wrapped up the text message by saying, "I will handle it well." It was confirmed that Kim wrote the text himself and sent it to the supporter.
The "some lawmakers trying to do their own politics" that Kim singled out appear to be Democratic Party lawmakers on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee and some hard-liners.
The Democratic Party leadership is keeping its distance from prosecution-related issues while President Lee Jae-myung is abroad to attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit. It is taking into account falling approval ratings for the president and the party after the controversy over dropping the Daejang-dong appeal.
However, some Democratic Party lawmakers on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee filed police complaints against 18 chief prosecutors who protested the decision to drop the Daejang-dong appeal. They did not consult the party leadership. Also, lawmaker Kim Yong-min appeared on a YouTube broadcast and said, "Because the supreme council members are considering running in the local elections and engaging in various activities, we are unable to set up a dedicated insurrection panel of judges." Supreme Council member Jeon Hyun-hee also wrote on Facebook, "A dedicated insurrection panel of judges is the people's irresistible command. We must respond."
In response, floor leader Kim Byung-kee said on the 19th, "Something that sensitive must be pushed forward in perfect coordination while communicating with the Ministry of Justice. Shouldn't you have consulted?" He added, "You will have to deal with the fallout there (the Legislation and Judiciary Committee)." It was effectively read as a warning.
A day later, on the 20th, Kim's text message was made public. The same day, at a closed-door meeting with reporters at the National Assembly, Kim was also said to have offered a similar criticism of the actions of lawmaker Kim Yong-min and others. It effectively ratcheted up the level of warning toward some hard-line lawmakers.
Despite floor leader Kim's successive warnings, observers say the discord between the party leadership and some hard-line lawmakers is likely to continue for the time being. The party leadership needs to cooperate with the opposition to highlight President Lee's overseas achievements and to handle the budget bill and the Special Act on U.S. Investment. Some hard-line lawmakers, by contrast, are looking to hard-core party members ahead of the local elections in June next year. In political circles, people say, "There are many points of conflict because their political calculations differ."