Democratic Party Gate Investigation Expands, Cabinet Reshuffle Controversy Heats Up

Discussant Huh Hyun-jun stated, "Choi Jae-sung, former lawmaker, has additionally emerged. Choi Jae-sung is now known as the former lawmaker. The name Song Young-gil also came up. Another lawmaker Kim also appeared," revealing that the number of individuals involved in the gate is expanding. Currently, a clear clarification is needed regarding the involvement of former presidential senior secretary Choi Jae-sung and former leader Song Young-gil, and with the mention of 'Lawmaker Kim,' further investigation is expected.

They submitted a petition to the Seoul court for severe punishment regarding Lawmaker Kim Seung-won and Nobie. Discussant Huh Hyun-jun mentioned, "It is said that a petition for severe punishment related to Kim Seung-won and Nobie was submitted to the Seoul court yesterday. Additional affected shareholders are expected to come forward." This incident reveals fundamental problems with corporate raiders and new drug lobbying gates, and urgent measures are needed to provide relief to the victims.

Spokesperson Park Min-young pointed out, "Han Dong-hoon made a big mistake by disclosing the prosecution's indictment plan. He said that the prosecutor had originally intended to seek a sentence," suggesting the possibility of leakage of the prosecution's confidential strategic material. This disclosure provides grounds for the Democratic Party to solidify the framework of 'disclosure of facts about the accused' and 'political prosecution,' predicting future political repercussions.

Such actions just before the special counsel investigation amplify suspicions about their underlying motives.

Questions have been raised regarding the police's excessive investigative actions, such as attempting to enter the Olympic Park vote-counting station, even after a special counsel has been appointed. Spokesperson Park Min-young stated, "I don't know. Given that a special counsel has been appointed, displaying such excessive actions without needing to, before the special counsel takes the lead with direct search and seizure, makes one inevitably suspect that there's something they need to conclude." This raises suspicions that there might be matters they need to finalize before the special counsel takes over the investigation. A transparent explanation is required for why this was pushed through, despite it being a matter that is difficult to proceed with without reporting to relevant ministries according to police investigation procedures.

He pointed out, "At least the bureaucrats have stepped down, and at least Vice Minister Hong Ji-sun is a local government official who worked with Lee Jae-myung in Gyeonggi Province. But it was very unusual and unconventional for this person to become a vice minister, and government officials who started as 5th-grade civil servants from the civil service exam do not follow the words of a local government-originating special service minister." He also raised concerns about policy continuity due to the appointment of officials from Lee Jae-myung's Gyeonggi provincial administration and the potential for a leadership vacuum within the ministry due to the appointment of a local government-originating minister.

Spokesperson Park Min-young stated, "She bet that housing prices would rise. But who would trust the Lee Jae-myung administration's talk of being able to stabilize housing prices now that such people become ministers? This shows whether they are tying the hands of ordinary citizens with regulation policies while they themselves are using all sorts of means to gain capital gains." He pointed out that the vice minister's actions were contrary to the administration's real estate policy, which claims falling housing prices. Ethical issues, such as a 400 million won capital gain within a year of purchase, have also been raised, fueling doubts about the government's real estate policy direction.

This also raises the possibility of infringement on the special counsel's investigative authority, adding to the controversy.

Lawyer Kang Dae-gyu revealed, "The salary that went to his son's account was ultimately a bribe directed at Kim Byung-ki. That's why the estimated bribe of about 67 million won for Kim Byung-ki became the reason for the arrest warrant application." A total of 67 million won, combining the son's salary of 58 million won and university tuition fees of 9 million won, was calculated as a bribe, and the police reportedly applied for the warrant, acknowledging the necessity of detention investigation.

This has led to criticism of the Basic Income Party's closed operational practices.

He pointed out, "Just a while ago, on August 14th, when Kim Min-seok was a party leader candidate, his remarks were considerably stronger... At that time, since President Lee Jae-myung was advocating for a four-year single term, as a Democratic Party leader candidate, he agreed to the president's four-year single term and said they should go with it... But now, in his floor speech, he talks about a constitutional amendment that the people want and is realistically possible, doesn't he?" He criticized Lawmaker Kim's retreat from his past stance of supporting a 'four-year single term for the president' to 'a realistically possible constitutional amendment.' This amplifies doubts about the continuation of the Lee Jae-myung system and support for re-election.

While discussions are needed on the modern validity of maintaining a quorum of 20 members, the controversy is growing with an analysis of its connection to the issue of pardoning Cho Kuk.

This incident, which involves Democratic Party lawmakers, has led to calls for securing Yang's cellphone and the need for a special counsel, raising voices for an expanded investigation.

Lawyer Kang Dae-gyu stated, "Legally, the principle of double jeopardy does not apply to cases that have not received a court judgment or verdict, whether they were deferred prosecutions or non-prosecutions, so a re-investigation is possible." This presented a legal interpretation that even if a case was previously deferred prosecution, a re-investigation is possible if there is no court verdict. There are also interpretations that the remark about considering a re-investigation has a political background, taking into account the personnel hearing.

This lawsuit has sparked discussions about freedom and independence of the press.

Spokesperson Yoon Ki-chan stated, "When the police's investigative power became independent, the whole nation, even insurance companies, began to question whether police investigations were complete and trustworthy, saying it was hard to get through without help from someone." He revealed that doubts about the completeness and credibility of police investigations are growing, with a surge in police decisions not to transfer cases and an increase in appeals. As a result, it has become essential for victims to appoint lawyers, and there has been a rapid increase in products guaranteeing lawyer fees in the insurance market.

Former Governor Lee Jae-myung's public purchase policy has been critically interpreted as an attempt to implement 'basic housing.' Spokesperson Yoon Ki-chan critically viewed the public purchase of auctioned properties by the state, stating, "President Lee Jae-myung is in the process of realizing basic housing. Is he creating organizations and bringing in a Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport who shares his philosophy to implement basic housing?" This appears to be an organized movement and personnel strategy for realizing basic housing, and criticism has been raised that it is a policy that is at odds with market conditions, such as Seoul's auction bid-to-fall ratio exceeding 100%.

He explained, "If an administrative agency like the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety acts illegally or improperly refrains from approval, and if there was improper non-approval, then it could be a grievance. But this is a corrupt act." He emphasized that a grievance under the Anti-Corruption Act pertains to unfair treatment by an administrative agency. Involvement in vested interests and abuse of power can be considered corrupt acts regardless of intentionality, which could lead to legal accountability for Lawmaker Kim.

Concerns have been raised about the dictatorial intervention of the Seongnam·Gyeonggi line in the Lee Jae-myung administration's personnel vetting process. Spokesperson Yoon Ki-chan interpreted former leader Song Young-gil's remark about candidate Yong Hye-in's unsuitability not just as a criticism, but as an internal warning that there were problems in the nomination and vetting process. He stated, "After the personnel announcement, there was no special or new problem regarding Yong Hye-in. But the fact that former leader Song Young-gil said she was inappropriate, does it not mean he himself recognized that there was a problem in the recommendation or vetting process?" This highlights problems with exclusive vetting by personnel secretaries and aides, a lack of authority in the Chief Secretary for Personnel Affairs' office, and issues with the decision-making structure.

Spokesperson Jang Dong-hyuk stated, "I feel that this cabinet reshuffle is going in the exact opposite direction. First, it's a stubborn reshuffle." He criticized the practice of promoting or reappointing the architects of existing failed policies, such as real estate policies. This shows a 'my-way' style of appointments with no intention of adjusting the national policy direction, and is criticized for betraying the public's expectations.

It has been claimed that Chief of Staff Kim Hyun-ji is deeply involved in the Lee Jae-myung administration's appointment of left-wing figures. Spokesperson Jang Dong-hyuk quoted Democratic Party figures, saying, "Such appointments cannot be recommended without Chief of Staff Kim Hyun-ji's approval. The choice of Yong Hye-in as a minister candidate is ultimately an attempt to continuously expand the left-wing cartel." He identified Chief of Staff Kim Hyun-ji as effectively the real power in personnel appointments. The nomination of candidate Yong Hye-in is also assessed as an 'attempt to expand the left-wing cartel' reflecting Chief of Staff Kim Hyun-ji's intentions, escalating the controversy.

He warned that the Republic of Korea would face a dead end due to diplomacy biased towards North Korea and China, and also emphasized the seriousness of the issue of deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz in Iran.

This is a situation where doubts are being raised about the credibility of police investigations, even though it is a serious case where there is a possibility that a citizen's life may have been sacrificed by a criminal organization, leading to mentions of the need for police reform and a special counsel.