Legislation and Judiciary Committee Adjourned, Internal Strife within Democratic Party Intensifies

Rep. Kim Nam-hee argued for recognizing video recordings as evidence to protect sexual violence victims, while Rep. Kim Yong-min opposed the provision with the goal of abolishing the prosecution, leading to a clash of opinions.

Rep. Kim Yong-min attempted to force a vote even after the discussion time had ended, and in doing so, tried to cut off dissenting opinions, heating up the meeting atmosphere. Rep. Kim Tae-kyu recounted the situation, saying, "Rep. Kim Yong-min said the discussion time is over. We're going into a vote now, so why are you debating? And he demanded to cut it off immediately."

Ultimately, the chairperson declared an adjournment, and the meeting was disrupted. This internal conflict within the Democratic Party made the discussions of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee difficult.

As Rep. Park Eun-jung of the Rebuilding Korea Party left the subcommittee of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the voting structure became unfavorable for the Democratic Party. With Rep. Park's absence, the previous 4-to-5 structure shifted to a 4-to-3 advantage for the People Power Party. Rep. Kim Tae-kyu explained the changed situation, saying, "When two people left, there were three, right? So what happened? It became 3-to-3, 4-to-3. Rather, if we vote on this, it's a situation where we can win."

This shift in structure significantly affected the exercise of voting rights in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee subcommittee, and an analysis suggested that it could lead to favorable outcomes for the People Power Party in future bill processing.

Rep. Kim Tae-kyu mentioned the voting situation at the time, stating, "The Democratic Party and we formed one group, and the other party was alone, and we voted."

Ultimately, the Democratic Party and the People Power Party voted 8 to 1, passing the relevant provision against Rep. Park Eun-jung's opposition. This incident revealed conflict between the Rebuilding Korea Party and other parties over the scope of the CIO's authority and showed that differing views on the CIO's role can transcend party lines.

Rep. Kim Tae-kyu emphasized, "When we become the majority party, we must restore all of that. We must change everything," and revealed that they are currently compiling a list of bills to be restored to their original state, led by the policy committee chairman.

This demonstrates the People Power Party's strong dissatisfaction with bills passed in the current political situation and suggests the possibility of deepening conflict between the ruling and opposition parties over legislation in the future political landscape.

He pointed out that the harsh remarks made in the meeting hall primarily originated from the Democratic Party. Expressions such as 'hideous face,' 'knife-like face,' and 'devil' did not come from his party but from Democratic Party lawmakers. Rep. Kim Tae-kyu clarified the source of the verbal abuse, stating, "In fact, look at it yourself. These expressions: 'hideous face,' 'knife-like face,' 'devil.' They didn't come from our side. They all came from the Democratic Party."

This was presented as grounds to criticize the quality of language used in the National Assembly and the use of violent language by a specific party. Questioning the attitude toward language use in the meeting hall could lead to debates about future parliamentary operations.

He then cited a specific candidate's photo as an example, pointing out that such an act is likely to be recognized as an at-fault spouse in a divorce lawsuit. This statement is interpreted as presenting both the ethical responsibility of a public figure and the applicability of civil law provisions.

Rep. Kim Tae-kyu said, "They didn't receive a single won from President Park Geun-hye, but merely because of their close relationship with her and some speech revisions, they were accused of being an economic community, weren't they? Can you assert that this situation does not constitute an economic community?"

Citing approximately 600 million won received by Yang Soo-jin, he added that if bribery is recognized, a heavy sentence of 9 to 12 years is expected. This statement emphasizes that a specific individual could face legal punishment beyond political responsibility.

Rep. Kim Tae-kyu said, "I actually think this needs to be investigated now. And not just any investigation, but since it's an investigation happening under this administration, this is precisely a situation that calls for a special prosecutor."

He implied that if a special prosecutor is introduced, the economic community charge is likely to be recognized, in which case the individual concerned "won't see the light of day, let alone become a minister. They will have to go to prison," hinting at the possibility of a prison sentence. This reveals distrust in the current administration's investigations and supports the argument that the truth of the case should be revealed through a special prosecutor.

Rep. Kim Tae-kyu remarked, "He also agrees, it seems, with the gist of it. Well, it's kind of like that. I genuinely think he's trying to appear very innocent, as if he's just trying to help a woman he knew well. Ultimately, he says he was deceived into making improper requests, and he was also a victim."

He expressed skepticism about the candidate's strategy of giving irrelevant answers and feigning innocence, claiming to be a victim deceived into making improper requests. This points out that the candidate's statements lack sincerity and could lead to controversy over perjury and false answers. This criticism highlighted issues of ethical responsibility and accountability for public office candidates.

He expressed skepticism about the current government's approval rating remaining in the 30s, predicting that it "will soon fall to the 20s." This is interpreted as a strong warning message that if the government does not listen to the public's voice, it could face a backlash in public opinion and a sharp decline in approval ratings.

Rep. Kim Tae-kyu stated, "We don't need to go through inconvenient procedures like impeachment. We just need to resume the trial."

He is actively urging the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to proceed with the trial and emphasized the need for the court to exercise its authority over litigation. This expresses the determination to realize judicial justice through a swift resolution of Lee's case.

He suggested that public opinion and government approval ratings can influence judges' conscientious rulings and emphasized the importance of creating an environment where judges can preside over trials without political pressure. This statement illustrates both the independence of the judiciary and the potential impact of political circumstances on judicial decisions.

He discussed the differences in position between the ruling and opposition parties regarding the scope of constitutional non-prosecution privilege. He argued that the President's non-prosecution privilege is not a reason to prohibit a trial and pointed out that the subject of the constitutional command is the prosecutor, unrelated to the judge. Rep. Kim Tae-kyu emphasized, "The Constitution commanded only the prosecutor, and the judge did not receive any command, so they just need to do their job. So what command did they receive from the Constitution? They received the command to conduct a swift trial."

This emphasizes that the Constitution commands the court to conduct a 'swift trial' and argues that judges must proceed with trials without delay according to this command. The differences in interpretation of non-prosecution privilege are expected to be a core issue in future political and judicial debates.

Rep. Kim Tae-kyu announced plans to operate his personal YouTube channel, 'Kim Tae-kyu TV,' and actively encouraged subscriptions. He said, "Please subscribe a lot to Kim Tae-kyu TV. I do a live broadcast with people from my constituency for about an hour and a half every Saturday."

He announced that he conducts a live broadcast for about an hour and a half every Saturday with residents of his Ulsan constituency, communicating with them. This shows Rep. Kim's efforts to increase transparency in his legislative activities and communicate directly with local residents.