A war of nerves between the ruling and opposition parties continues over the appointment of a special inspector.
Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Han Byung-do and senior deputy floor leader for operations Cheon Jun-ho, and People Power Party floor leader Song Eon-seog and chief deputy floor leader Yoo Sang-beom said on the 20th that after a luncheon meeting at a restaurant near the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, they agreed to handle the appointment process for the special inspector by consensus.
Senior deputy floor leader Cheon said, "The ruling and opposition parties decided to begin full-fledged consultations on the appointment process for the special inspector," adding, "There is a precedent in which one person was recommended by the ruling party, one by the opposition party, and one by the Korean Bar Association, and we will refer to that."
Chief deputy floor leader Yoo said, "The People Power Party has already selected and prepared a candidate," adding, "If the Democratic Party actively proceeds with its candidate selection process, I think the procedures will move quickly."
Earlier, President Lee Jae-myung asked for the prompt initiation of the appointment procedure for the Blue House special inspector. The special inspector is tasked with overseeing corruption by the president's relatives and by aides at the senior secretary level or higher at the Blue House. The post has been vacant since Lee Seok-su, the first special inspector under former President Park Geun-hye, resigned while investigating Woo Byung-woo, then the Blue House senior secretary for civil affairs, in 2016.
The opposition continued its offensive over the president's request to appoint a special inspector. People Power Party floor leader Song Eon-seog said in a Facebook post, "The People Power Party has already proposed several times to the ruling party that we recommend a special inspector, but the Democratic Party of Korea has not budged," adding, "The Blue House is shifting the responsibility for recommending a special inspector to the National Assembly, and the Democratic Party is refusing to recommend one. This two-pronged show has been going on for nearly a year."
Chief spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon said in an oral commentary, "Although the president requested the appointment process for a special inspector, after leaving the power oversight mechanism virtually unattended for nearly 10 months of the term, emphasizing 'institutional oversight' now can only appear to the public as a message aimed at changing the narrative."
Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok also said, "The special inspector is the last side brake on the runaway Lee Jae-myung administration," adding, "If the Democratic Party tries to ram this through unilaterally with its satellite opposition parties, that would be the selection of a 'special bodyguard,' not a 'special inspector.'"