Ruling Democratic Party floor leader Kim Byung-kee effectively dismissed the opposition’s call for a special counsel to investigate the Unification Church scandal to be recommended by a third party rather than the National Assembly.

Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly on Monday, Kim said the special counsel must be appointed in accordance with the special counsel law, adding that no part of the decision would be made outside the law. 

Under the current Act on the Appointment of Independent Prosecutors, the National Assembly’s recommendation committee, made up of members nominated by each party, recommends candidates for special counsel to the Assembly speaker.

Kim’s comments came in response to an agreement between the main opposition People Power Party and the minor Reform Party that two candidates should be recommended by the Supreme Court and the National Court Administration, with the president appointing one of them.

The agreement between the two conservative parties was made in consideration of the nature of the case, in which allegations of bribery by the Unification Church involve several politicians across the political spectrum.

Kim said the DP would move forward with the investigation without the two opposition parties if they tried to back out of the special counsel over the nomination process, noting that the two parties proposed the special counsel in the first place.