The ruling and opposition parties clashed in the special committee for a parliamentary inquiry over the schedule for a recount at the Olympic Park (Olgong) ballot-counting site. The ruling party argued that the recount should proceed on the 18th as already agreed, while the opposition countered that the timeline should be rescheduled in connection with the special prosecutor's investigation.
The ruling party again stressed that the recount should proceed according to the schedule previously agreed upon.
Yoon Kun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea, the ruling party's secretary, said, "There are reports that some People Power Party lawmakers are saying the recount scheduled for the 18th (of this month) should be postponed," and added, "The situation at Olympic Park has dragged on for over two months now, and the very fact that such an illegal situation has continued for more than two months in Korea is, regardless of the reasons, serious."
The opposition, meanwhile, says the recount schedule should be delayed to link it with the special prosecutor's investigation. Seo Beom-su of the People Power Party, the opposition's secretary, explained, "What the floor leaders agreed to, and the reason the special committee on the inquiry was postponed for a month, was clearly with the intention of proceeding in tandem with the special prosecutor, so a tentative agreement was reached for the 18th."
He added, "The special prosecutor will soon be launched and begin an investigation, so is it really right for us to go first because we can't wait?" and said, "Given that the purpose of the special prosecutor is to clearly reveal the facts to the public, once the special prosecutor is launched, I believe we should set the date in consultation with the special prosecutor."
The Democratic Party pushed back, saying the People Power Party was overturning the prior agreement. Lawmaker Yoon criticized, "A considerable number of People Power Party lawmakers are changing their words," and lawmaker Yang Bu-nam of the same party also argued, "By what authority would the special prosecutor conduct a recount?" and "The special prosecutor's investigation is not linked to it, and there is nothing in the special prosecutor's targets that would be proven through a recount."
The People Power Party says the recount should be linked to the special prosecutor's investigation, at least to uphold the "spirit of the agreement" between the floor leaders.
Seo said, "Even the chief negotiators' agreement states that if the nomination of the special prosecutor proceeds quickly, conducting it in connection will be actively considered," and added, "I believe the floor leaders' spirit of agreement is to proceed together with the special prosecutor and conduct an open verification in parallel."
Shin Dong-wook of the People Power Party also reiterated that the recount should be linked to the special prosecutor's investigation, saying, "Working with the special prosecutor is the way to resolve the public's suspicions."