Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 26th that the party would introduce a bill for a special counsel to investigate the Unification Church within the day. He stressed that as the first bill of the new year in 2026, the party would push a second comprehensive special counsel on insurrection, Kim Keon-hee, and Chae Hae-byeong to uncover the truth about the Dec. 3 martial law.
At his first official press conference since taking office, held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 26th, Jung said, "I agree with the public and Democratic Party members who say 'conduct a special counsel on the Unification Church' and 'isn't there nothing the Democratic Party cannot do,'" adding, "Recommendations for the Unification Church special counsel will be made by a neutral third-party body that the public can trust."
Asked whether there was a burden because a ruling-party figure was implicated in the alleged receipt of money and valuables related to the Unification Church, he said, "There are reports that a Democratic Party figure is partly involved, but what is involved at the personal level and the involvement of the party organization are different matters," and added, "We must lay bare every detail of the People Power Party's alleged splitting of political donations during the 2022 presidential election."
Jung also said, "Collusion between politics and religion is itself unconstitutional and directly violates the basic democratic order," adding, "If collusion between the People Power Party and the Unification Church is confirmed guilty, I emphasize once again that the People Power Party should be dissolved as an unconstitutional party."
He also laid out a plan to swiftly push the second comprehensive special counsel as the "first bill of the new year." Jung said, "We cannot take even a single step back or rest even for a moment in our march toward settling the issue of insurrection and completing reform," adding, "Through the second comprehensive special counsel, we must uncover every detail of the Dec. 3 martial law incident and all state abuses by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, including allegations surrounding Noh Sang-won's notebook, Yeo In-hyung's memo, and lobbying to clear the Chae Hae-byeong case."
He continued, "Originally, if it were physically possible, I wanted to conduct the second comprehensive special counsel and the Unification Church special counsel within this year," but added, "Given the circumstances, it seems we will have to pass the special counsel bill at the very start of the new year. I believe the first bill of the new year should be the second comprehensive special counsel. At the same time, we must also push the Unification Church special counsel."
Jung is also set to hold a launch ceremony soon for the party's Korea Peninsula Peace New Strategy Committee. Jung explained that improving inter-Korean relations would have positive effects across all areas, including domestic politics, the economy, society and culture. Former Unification Ministers Jeong Se-hyun and Lee Jae-jung, and Yonsei University honorary professor Moon Chung-in, among others referred to as the "autonomy faction," will join the committee in large numbers.
Jung said, "In fact, I have never once let go of the task of peace on the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean relations from my college days until now," adding, "I believe the greatest task of the Republic of Korea and the root of all contradictions lies in division, and the reason I entered politics was also the agenda of overcoming division and achieving national unification."
He added, "Balanced diplomacy is a core element of our economy and also central to the issue of prosperity. Therefore, listening only to one side's voice is not good as a diplomatic strategy," and said, "By creating the Korea Peninsula Peace New Strategy Committee to present diverse voices and enable President Lee Jae-myung to hold diverse cards, we need balanced, practical diplomacy that serves the national interest to the fullest by acting as a leverage."