Jung Chung-rae, a candidate in the Democratic Party of Korea's leadership race, warned Monday that if prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers are not fully abolished, "the tail — 10 percent — could shake the entire body." He added that "this anxiety is very real among party members."
Speaking in an MBC radio interview that day, Jung said that during his time as party leader, even lawmakers who privately opposed full abolition of the supplementary investigation powers found it difficult to voice that position openly.
Jung said he was taken aback when, at a recent general assembly of lawmakers, "an overwhelming majority quite naturally and confidently argued that abolishing the supplementary investigation powers might not be the right move — I found myself thinking, 'How did it come to this?'" He added that there was "a sense of anxiety, even fear, that no matter how many swing voters you bring in, if your base walks out the door, general elections and presidential elections become hopeless."
On the controversy over the party convention candidate deposit, Jung said the amount was "too high, even by my own assessment," and called on the party to cover the cost itself, noting that President Lee Jae Myung had also called for a system in line with publicly funded elections.
He said the Democratic Party has substantial funds — "hundreds of billions of won in reserves" — and estimated the balance at around 50 billion won ($33.7 million), adding that he would like to see the deposit "lowered to last year's level or before."
On the question of a merger with the Rebuilding Korea Party, Jung said that if he becomes party leader, he plans to conduct a full membership poll and "open it up for public deliberation" based on the results.
bigroot@heraldcorp.com
