Amid the ruling party’s Shincheonji controversy, Jeong Jeom-sik: “A special counsel must be appointed to conduct a compulsory investigation”

[Financial News] Jeong Jeom-sik, floor leader of the People Power Party, called for a special counsel act to be enacted to investigate allegations that Shincheonji members joined the Democratic Party en masse, a controversy that has escalated into factional strife within the party.
On the 9th, Jeong said on social media (SNS), “We cannot trust party leader Kim Min-seok’s claim that ‘there is no evidence of a secret alliance between the Democratic Party and Shincheonji.’” He added, “I urge that the allegations of a secret alliance between the Democratic Party and Shincheonji be investigated through a special counsel with compulsory investigative powers so the truth can be uncovered.”
Jeong said, “Since last Friday, the Democratic Party has been allowing only lawmakers and regional committee chairs to review, individually, materials related to allegations that Shincheonji members joined the party en masse.” He continued, “This is absurd. Not only Democratic Party lawmakers but all our citizens have the right to know the truth and the right to verify it. The materials must be made public immediately.”
He went on, “How can anyone determine whether members of their own party are Shincheonji followers? Does the Democratic Party even have a membership list of Shincheonji followers?” He pointed out, “I hear that even within the Democratic Party there are voices questioning the source and credibility of the materials. That is only natural. The Democratic Party must immediately disclose the source of the data on the scale of Shincheonji members joining the party.”
Jeong stressed, “Even Democratic Party lawmakers say they suspect that Shincheonji may have interfered in the party’s internal elections and organized its members to join. Can this simply be swept under the rug?” He added, “If this is allowed to pass without an investigation, it would clearly amount to concealing and covering up a crime.”
He continued, “First, the veracity of the tips, statements and testimony collected by the Democratic Party concerning a secret alliance between Shincheonji and the party must be verified.” He pointed out, “We need to determine who gave what orders, when they gave them, and how many people joined in an organized way. The only way is through a compulsory investigation.”
Jeong said, “Earlier this year, our party proposed separate special counsel investigations—one into the Unification Church and another into Shincheonji—to examine each closely, rather than the Lee Jae Myung administration’s diversionary ‘joint special counsel’ into the Unification Church and Shincheonji.” He added, “If a Shincheonji special counsel had been appointed as our party proposed then, it would also have investigated the allegations of a secret alliance between the Democratic Party and Shincheonji.”
He said, “After the joint investigation headquarters for the Unification Church and Shincheonji thoroughly combed through only the opposition, as if shaking out every speck of dust, the idea of burying the allegations against the Democratic Party by relying on a single shoddy investigation result whose data source is unknown is an utterly unacceptable act of oppression against the opposition.” He added, “If the Democratic Party rejects a special counsel, it is admitting its own ties to Shincheonji. I urge the Democratic Party to stop allowing access to the shoddy investigation results and cooperate with the appointment of a special counsel.”
[email protected] Lee Hae-ram Reporter