Na Kyung-won, a member of the People Power Party (second from left), and other members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee protest the delay of the committee's plenary session on the 24th. [Photo=Yonhap News]The People Power Party is strongly protesting the Democratic Party's processing of a bill to amend the National Referendum Act, which subtly includes a felony provision prescribing imprisonment of up to 10 years for claiming election fraud, in a parliamentary standing committee.

The People Power Party held a policy briefing session at the National Assembly on the 24th and criticized the National Referendum Act amendment bill unilaterally processed by the Democratic Party the previous day in the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, stating it "blocks public questioning of election management duties and grants excessive authority to the National Election Commission."

While it would have been sufficient to amend the National Referendum Act to guarantee the referendum rights of overseas Koreans in accordance with the Constitutional Court's decision of unconstitutionality in 2014, the criticism is that the Democratic Party's processing of a comprehensive amendment bill that adds supplementary provisions such as penalties along with the guarantee of overseas Korean voting rights is a maneuver to block the truth of fraudulent elections.

Specifically, the provision stipulates that individuals who continuously spread false information about advance voting, national referendums, and vote counting through information and communication networks, with the intent to disrupt the normal performance of the National Election Commission's duties or undermine the credibility of law enforcement, shall be punished by imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine of not less than 5 million won and not more than 30 million won.

In response, Rep. Na Kyung-won strongly criticized, stating that the amendment "gives unchecked power to the National Election Commission, whose fairness is highly doubted, and includes provisions that muzzle the public." She added, "This is to fundamentally block any demand for reform of the National Election Commission or even raising suspicions."

Rep. Seo Beom-soo, the opposition party whip in the Public Administration and Security Committee, also said, according to Yonhap News, "The Democratic Party, like a military operation, passed the amendment in the Public Administration and Security Committee in 30 minutes," and expressed his belief that "it was a move to sneakily insert problematic clauses."

Editor's Desk, Hanmi Daily