The conflict within the ruling party, centered on the self-proclaimed prosecution reform issue, is reaching a turning point on the 13th.
This is because the confirmation hearing for Kim Ji-yong, the candidate for the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, who is criticized by some in the ruling party as a so-called pro-Yoon (pro-Yun Seok-yeol) prosecutor, will be held on the 14th following the government audit of Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae, the most hard-liner in the party.
The political world is paying attention to whether the conflict over the ruling party's prosecution reform will be resolved once the two political events pass, or whether it will spread further in conjunction with the factional confrontation between the ruling party's self-proclaimed core (traditional) supporters and the New Lee Jae-myung camp.
First, at the audit of the National Administration by the Public Administration and Security Committee held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on this day, the conflict between the ruling party and the ruling party, which had been viewed with concern within the party, was expressed.
Rep. Lee Kwang-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea raised an issue with Governor Chu's action in notifying him that he would cut Gyeonggi Province's city/county project supplementary budget, saying, "I agree with the need for fiscal consolidation, but the method is not justified."
When Rep. Lee said, “There are criticisms that Gyeonggi Province, which is said to be the barometer of local autonomy, is not taking the lead on consultation and agreement and is unilaterally leading the way,” Governor Chu objected, saying, “I have not taken the lead and have no intention of taking the lead alone.”
Representative Chae Hyeon-il of the same party criticized Governor Chu's declaration of a 'fiscal emergency', saying, "There may have been possible alternatives, such as expanding the local bond issuance limit, but the emergency declaration is confusing and embarrassing for both the residents and the Democratic Party."
Representative Lee Hae-sik of the Democratic Party pointed out that the personnel appointments of 1,130 public officials from level 2 to level 5 in Gyeonggi Province were withheld and criticized it as “an overly harsh treatment that lowers the morale of public officials.”
As this situation unfolded, the People Power Party also appeared to highlight the conflict within the ruling party.
In response to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-jin asking about his evaluation of Candidate Kim, Governor Chu maintained his previous position, saying, "I think he is unsuitable for the position, not only as a prosecutor, but also as a public official."
In response to this attitude, Rep. Kwon indirectly pointed out that he is more interested in Yeouido politics than the provincial administration, saying, "There is an evaluation that he is the 'Governor of Yeouido' rather than the Governor of Gyeonggi Province."
In response, Governor Chu said, "That is a misunderstanding," and responded, "If you build an angle with the president or take a presidential bid, you should be applauded if you use the people's will, whether it be by hiding Gyeonggi Province's financial situation and taking on debt or not taking on more tax burdens."
This is a factor that is raising the Democratic Party's concerns as the party leadership has issued a virtual warning to hardliners who have voiced opposition to the appointment of candidate Kim, including Governor Chu.
Representative Kim Min-seok appeared on the Democratic Party's YouTube channel the previous day and pointed out, "There has been criticism of constantly leading the president or the party by changing logic or targets," and "(criticism) should be done while doing one's job."
Even in the case of Candidate Kim's confirmation hearing, there is talk within the party that a thorough verification of his past actions is still necessary. Although President Lee Jae-myung has begun the appointment process by repeatedly issuing a strong message that “unreasonable claims are interfering with state affairs,” skepticism continues.
Representative Park Joo-min emphasized in an MBC radio interview the previous day, "When Candidate Kim was a public prosecutor, he expressed his strong opposition to the adjustment of prosecutorial and police investigative powers, and I will address this at the hearing."
Rep. Yoon Kun-young also appeared on CBS Radio's 'Park Seong-tae's News Show' and said, "The most important thing is to confirm whether candidate Kim has the will to reform the prosecution, and the second is whether he has the qualifications to properly lead the Central Investigation Agency."
He added, “It is right to respect the president’s personnel rights, and now let the National Assembly conduct rigorous verification and let the people make their decision.”
For this reason, if candidate Kim fails to demonstrate his true will to reform the prosecution during the confirmation hearing, contrary to the leadership's expectations, there is a possibility that it will create a justification for the voices of hardliners to be heard.
However, the party leadership expects that the confusion within the party will be resolved once Candidate Kim goes through the hearing.
As the Blue House's additional verification was followed by a National Assembly personnel hearing, it is expected that hardliners will find it difficult to raise additional issues with President Lee's decision regarding candidate Kim.
In this situation, the confirmation of the so-called 'Shincheonji intervention theory' raised at the August 17 National Convention is also receiving attention within the party.
First of all, the party leadership's position is that they have investigated the 'suspicion of Shincheonji party membership' in order to realize transparent party member sovereignty.
However, there is an analysis that it is difficult to rule out the possibility that this issue may become a subject of additional conflict within the ruling party as the situation develops, as political interests may vary depending on the faction within the party.
