Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae met with the party's members on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 9th to explain concerns inside and outside the party over pushing ahead with the judicial reform plan and moved to coordinate, according to confirmations. At the meeting, Jung said, "People say soccer player Messi is the best because he scores while even evading tackles." The move is seen as an effort to soothe hard-liners and reaffirm the party-government-presidential office line.
Park Soo-hyun, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, said on SBS' "Kim Tae-hyun's Politics Show Radio" that "Jung called in the Democratic Party's Legislation and Judiciary Committee members yesterday and discussed opinions for about an hour," adding, "He comprehensively explained the opinions that have emerged so far in the process of public discussion."
Park, the chief spokesperson, said, "People perceive that the Democratic Party's Legislation and Judiciary Committee members are out of sync with the party leadership and are trying to push ahead, but the committee members find that very unfair. The committee's policy and trajectory are pursued in frequent communication with the party leadership."
On the 3rd, the Democratic Party pushed through a bill in the committee to establish a court division dedicated to insurrection cases, but after backlash from the legal community, the Rebuilding Korea Party, and the progressive camp that there were "potential constitutional issues," it shifted toward preparing a revision instead of bringing it to a plenary vote. The presidential office is also said to have conveyed to the party the intent to "minimize potential constitutional issues." However, Choo Mi-ae, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair, said on a YouTube broadcast the previous day that "there are no potential constitutional issues with the bill to establish an insurrection court division," and pushed back, saying, "The Democratic Party is too scared and is about to blow it."
Amid this, Jung appears to have sought to explain the results of coordination among the party, government and presidential office and to sort out internal differences through a meeting with committee members.
The party and the presidential office are currently pushing to establish a court division dedicated to insurrection cases but are reviewing a plan to apply it starting from the appellate level. President Lee Jae-myung also asked at a dinner with Jung and other leaders the previous day that "it would be good if reform legislation is handled reasonably in line with the public's expectations." Park, the chief spokesperson, said, "Woo Sang-ho, the president's senior secretary for political affairs, said on a YouTube broadcast that 'the president's view is that the insurrection court division should start from the appellate level,' and yesterday's dinner meeting content is being set in that direction."
Meanwhile, regarding allegations that the Unification Church illegally provided political funds spreading to some Democratic Party figures, Park, the chief spokesperson, said, "With no list out yet, the party leadership cannot take any action based only on rumors." He said, "If there is anything that Democratic Party figures are illegally involved in, then let it be investigated as is, investigated, and punished according to the results."