ⓒYONHAP News

Assembly Speaker Presents Mediatory Proposal on Prosecutorial Reform Bills

National Assembly Speaker (박병석)Park Byeong-seug has presented an eight-point proposal - in a move to mediate over the contentious pair of reform bills that would strip the prosecution of its remaining investigative powers.

In a statement issued early Friday, Park strongly urged the ruling and opposition parties to accept his proposal during their respective general meetings of lawmakers.

The parliamentary chief said he drafted the proposal after gathering opinions from the floor leadership of the rival camps, former National Assembly speakers, government officials and related experts – calling the effort not an easy task.

He then reiterated his call on the National Assembly to resolve the dispute over prosecutorial reforms in order to focus on urgent issues related to people’s livelihood.

Rival Parties Accept Speaker's Proposal on Disputed Revisions to Prosecutorial Bill

Later on Friday, rival political parties accepted Assembly Speaker (박병석)Park Byeong-seug's proposal… paving the way for the proposed revisions to be tabled at a plenary session in the coming days, ahead of the Moon Jae-in administration's final Cabinet meeting on May 3.

Ruling Democratic Party(DP) floor leader Park Hong-keun said that his party considers three of its objectives included in the speaker's proposal. The DP was pushing to separate the prosecution's authority to indict and to investigate, seeking to pass the bills during April's extra session and establish the Korean version of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI).

As for the speaker's proposal to leave two of six major crimes under the prosecution's jurisdiction until the formation of the FBI-like agency, the floor leader said the rival parties agreed to supplement the plan if deemed necessary.

It also includes limiting the scope of the state agency's special investigative units and restricting its investigation of cases transferred from the police.

Main opposition People Power Party(PPP) floor leader Kweon Seong-dong denied that the proposal was more in line with the DP's demands, saying it retains parts of the prosecution's direct investigative power and all of its supplementary authority.

Top Prosecutor Reoffers Resignation after Parties Accept Speaker's Proposal

Meanwhile, reaction from the nation’s lead prosecutors was swift… with resignations submitted by the prosecutor general as well as his deputy and the heads of all six high prosecutors' offices.

This marks Prosecutor General Kim O-su’s second resignation in five days. He made the announcement through his spokesperson's office on Friday, saying he will step down to take responsibility for the turn of events.

Kim had previously tendered his resignation on Sunday, objecting to the ruling Democratic Party's decision to push through the disputed revisions. President Moon Jae-in rejected the offer, persuading the top prosecutor to remain in office to consult with the National Assembly.