The People Power Party and the Reform Party will join forces to push a special counsel bill to investigate allegations that members of the ruling camp received political funds from the Unification Church. The two parties have some differences over the specifics of the special counsel bill they envision, but they agreed to strengthen an opposition coalition centered on the so-called "Unification Church gate."
Floor leader Song Eon-seog of the People Power Party and floor leader Cheon Ha-ram of the Reform Party met at the National Assembly on the morning of the 17th to discuss promoting a special counsel bill on the Unification Church gate.
Song, the floor leader, said, "Suspicions are being raised day after day that key figures in the Lee Jae-myung administration received money and valuables from the Unification Church, indicating involvement in the Unification Church gate," and added, "It is presumed that the Unification Church selectively contacted key figures in the administration to build influence and ultimately sought to secure an access route leading to President Lee Jae-myung."
Cheon, the floor leader, said, "As the illegality of their own side has been exposed, the Democratic Party has changed its stance and is denying the need for a thorough investigation or a special counsel into the Unification Church case," adding, "The Democratic Party's brazenness and whataboutism have reached their peak. The Democratic Party already treats a special counsel as if it were an investigative body affiliated with the party."
The two parties plan to determine the details of the special counsel bill through working-level consultations going forward. Earlier, the People Power Party and the Reform Party expressed some differing views on the investigation scope and the authority to recommend the special counsel. The Reform Party argued that since both major parties face allegations of ties to the Unification Church, minority parties in the Assembly should recommend the special counsel and the scope should be limited to the Unification Church political funds allegations. The People Power Party proposed a compromise of handing recommendation authority to the Supreme Court and the Korean Bar Association, while coordinating the scope of the investigation.
After the meeting, Song, the floor leader, told reporters, "We fully exchanged views with each other, and although there are some points that do not match, we shared similar views on most issues," adding, "We will proceed further with the working-level task and gather more opinions within both parties to finalize the bill."