Kim Jun-hyung, acting leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, speaks at a general assembly of lawmakers held at the National Assembly on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
Kim Jun-hyung, acting leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, speaks at a general assembly of lawmakers held at the National Assembly on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

The Rebuilding Korea Party said Tuesday that the reform alliance it shares with the Democratic Party of Korea is "never a one-way street," as pressure mounted over whether the minor party would help end a People Power Party filibuster blocking a bill to extend the second comprehensive special prosecutor investigation.

Kim Jun-hyung, the party's acting leader and floor leader, made the remarks at a general assembly of lawmakers, warning that the Democratic Party should not take his party's cooperation for granted or treat it as a rubber stamp to be mobilized at will.

Kim said the Democratic Party was asking the Rebuilding Korea Party for votes to end the filibuster while hesitating on abolishing supplementary investigative powers — which he described as the core of genuine prosecutorial reform. He said that approach was "breaking mutual trust."

He left the door open to participating in the vote, however, saying the party "has always led the way in protecting people's livelihoods and uncovering the full truth behind the insurrection and abuse of state power," and would "act responsibly in this vote as well."

Under the National Assembly Act, ending a filibuster requires the participation of the broader opposition bloc, making the Rebuilding Korea Party's votes essential. The party appears to be using that leverage to press for faster progress on prosecutorial reform legislation.

Kim was expected to meet with Han Byung-do, the Democratic Party's acting leader and floor leader, after the assembly concluded Tuesday to make a final decision on whether the party would take part in the vote.


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