A scholar and president of the Unification Church, suspected of colluding with the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the Unification Church, is seen leaving the Seoul Central District Court on the 22nd after completing his pre-arrest investigation (warrant examination). Yonhap News

With suspicions of receiving illicit funds by the Unification Church hitting the ruling party after the opposition, remarks suggesting the possibility of a special prosecutor investigation are drawing attention from both the opposition and within the ruling party.

While the Democratic Party's stance is that police investigation into the Unification Church allegations should come first, some observers believe that pressure for a special prosecutor could intensify if the controversy further escalates following the resignation of Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Jeon Jae-soo.

Rep. Kim Young-jin, a key figure in the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, stated on SBS radio on the 11th regarding the opposition's call for a special prosecutor, "It would be good to handle it through the National Police Agency's investigation," adding, "Perhaps it could be discussed through bipartisan agreement."

Rep. Kim further elaborated, "I believe we can re-examine the necessity of a special prosecutor," and "I think it could be considered from the perspective of revealing objective facts, rather than using it as a tool for political attacks."

In response, the People Power Party's Floor Leader Song Eon-seok stated at a party meeting at the National Assembly, "There is evidence to suggest a deep collusion between the Democratic Party and the Unification Church, yet why is the special prosecution ignoring the investigation after receiving testimony from four months ago?" He added, "A special prosecutor must be launched promptly for clear fact-finding and thorough eradication."

The Reform Party also pressured for the introduction of a special prosecutor for the allegations of receiving illicit funds by the Unification Church.

In response, the Democratic Party is currently prioritizing its stance of a police investigation first.

Floor Spokesperson Baek Seung-ah told reporters at the National Assembly, "The President ordered a strict investigation, and as the investigation has begun (by the police), the truth will be revealed through the investigation," and "We are also watching this closely."

A ruling party lawmaker belonging to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee told Yonhap News over the phone, "The police should conduct a thorough investigation," and "Talk of a special prosecutor could only emerge if the police fail to do so."

In Yeouido, the Democratic Party's proposed second comprehensive special prosecutor may become a variable due to the special prosecutor issue concerning the Unification Church allegations.

The Democratic Party's position is that a second comprehensive special prosecutor should be launched to address matters not resolved by the three special prosecutions. This is because the opposition could strengthen the justification for a Unification Church special prosecutor by claiming that the areas not investigated by the three special prosecutions are allegations of Unification Church support for ruling party figures.

In a similar vein, it is reported that within the Democratic Party, there are opinions suggesting that the comprehensive special prosecutor should be postponed, as promoting it could paradoxically increase public interest only in the Unification Church special prosecutor.

Additionally, for some cases, the police's actions given the approaching statute of limitations are also expected to influence discussions surrounding a special prosecutor.

A People Power Party official stated, "It is not too late to begin discussions on a special prosecutor after observing the progress of the investigation for a while longer," and "We will see the stance of the investigative agencies at least until this week."

However, given that both ruling and opposition party figures are being named in the Unification Church bribery allegations, there are still many who predict that the mention of a special prosecutor will end at the level of political offensive.

This is because both parties could suffer damage if a special prosecutor is appointed, and there are inevitably irreconcilable differences in their positions regarding the scope and methods of the special prosecutor's investigation.