Natl. Assembly speaker shelves overseas trip amid tension over prosecution reform legislation
By YonhapPublished : April 20, 2022 - 09:30
National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug has put an overseas travel plan on hold, an official said Wednesday, amid the ruling Democratic Party's push for legislation that would deprive the prosecution of its investigative powers.
The decision was seen as aimed at giving the DP more time to consider the controversial legislation without rushing as the party has vowed to pass the bills through the National Assembly before Park departs on a 10-day trip to the United States and Canada later this week.
Park's cooperation is key to passing the legislation because he has the authority to introduce it.
The DP has pushed the set of amendments to the Prosecutor's Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act to strip the prosecution of its right to investigate six types of crimes.
The DP hopes to promulgate the legislation into law at a Cabinet meeting May 3, a week before President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is inaugurated.
On Tuesday, Yoon's transition team demanded an immediate halt to the DP's push on prosecution reform, saying the amendments are "unconstitutional and unheard of even within the judiciary." (Yonhap)