민주당 김한길 대표와 지도부는 1일 오전 서울광장에 '민주주의 회복과 국정원 개혁 국민운동분부'를 설치하고 장외투쟁의 일환으로 현장 의원총회를 열어 국정원의 대선•정치개입 의혹 국정조사 정상화 등을 촉구하고 있다. (코리아헤럴드 박현구 사진기자)
민주당이 목요일 새누리당 국가정보원 국정조사 정상화를 위한 압박을 극대화 시키면서 여야의 갈등이 고조되고 있다.
국정조사 만료시점이 오는 8월 15일까지인데 반해, 국정조사가 제대로 이루어질지조차 모르는 상황이다.
민주당은 목요일 오전 10시 시청 앞 서울광장에서 ‘민주주의 회복과 국정원 개혁 국민운동본부’를 설치하고 장외투쟁에 나섰다.
김한길 민주당 대표는이 자리에서 “민주당은 국민과 함께, 당원과 함께, 소속 의원들의 지혜를 모아서 반드시 무너진 민주주의를 회복하고 국정원 개혁을 이루어낼 것”이라고 강조했다.
김대표는 이어 “새누리당의 국정조사 거부 행태는 분명한 국정 농단이다. 무엇이 두려워 원세훈 전 국정원장과 김용판 전 서울경찰청장을 증인대에 세우지 못하는 것인지 이해할 수가 없다”고 말했다.
이에 새누리당은 민주당 스스로 국정조사를 파탄내는 것으로 보아, 민주당이 자신들에게 유리한 정치공세 장을 마련하지 못할 것이라는 판단에 판을 뒤엎으려는 정치적 의도가 개입된 것이 아닌지 의심된다고 맞섰다.
새누리당 최경환 원내대표는 “제 1야당의 지도부가 강경파에 밀려 국조를 스스로 파탄 내는 것은 바람직하지 않다”고 지적하면서 “강경파에 끌려 다닐 수밖에 없는 민주당 지도부가 안쓰럽다”고 발언했다.
한편 민주당 정청래 의원은 새누리당이 이날 정오까지 증인채택 문제를 합의하지 못하면 오는 5일로 예정된 국정원 기관보고 자체를 취소하겠다는 주장에 “새누리당은 처음부터 국조를 할 생각이 없었다”며 “그것은 국조를 깰 테면 깨라는 것”이라고 말했다. (영문: 최희석 코리아헤럴드 기자, 한글: 임우정 인턴기자)
<관련영문기사>
Saenuri-DP discord deepens as opposition takes to the streets Dispute between the Saenuri Party and the Democratic Party escalated Thursday as the DP’s street-campaign to increase pressure on the ruling party over the parliamentary investigation on the National Intelligence Service got underway.
The two main parties have been at loggerheads over who will be called as witnesses for the hearing on NIS’ actions during last year’s presidential election, and have been accusing the other of causing delays.
The parliamentary investigation is scheduled to end on Aug. 15, but the parties have yet to question the NIS and pick witnesses.
The DP set up the headquarters for its committee for reviving democracy and reforming the NIS in Seoul Plaza and held a general meeting of its members.
“The DP needs to collect the wisdom of the public, party members and its lawmakers to revive democracy and reform the NIS. Saenuri Party’s monopolizing the parliamentary investigation cannot change essence of the case,” DP chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil said.
“The Saenuri Party’s refusing the investigation is clear monopolization of state affairs. It is incomprehensible that the Saenuri Party is preventing former NIS chief Won Sei-hoon and former Seoul police commissioner Kim Yong-pan from taking the stand.”
Won is suspected of ordering the NIS to attempt to sway public opinion against DP’s Rep. Moon Jae-in, while Kim Yong-pan is thought to have been behind the efforts to reduce the scope of the police investigation into the allegations.
Kim went on to say that his party will hold a rally supporting their cause in central Seoul on Saturday, and that the DP will continue working within and outside the parliament to bring the investigation back on track.
While the DP says that the campaign is a countermeasure for the ruling party’s sabotage attempts, the Saenuri Party hit back saying that the parliamentary investigation will break down if the opposition continues the so-called “out-of-arena protest.”
“It is unadvisable for the leadership of the main opposition is pushed by the hardliners into breaking down the parliamentary investigation,” Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan said.
Choi also said that the DP’s actions appear to be a ploy by hardliners within the party.
“The DP’s leadership, which is being pushed around by the hard-line faction, is pitiful.”
The two sides’ representatives for the investigation, who have been negotiating over who will be called to testify, also continued the blame game.
The DP has called for the two parties to agree to order Kim to attend the hearing and to guarantee that a complaint will be filed against the former police chief if he refused.
The Saenuri Party has ruled out such measures saying that it would be rising above the law.
“The parliamentary investigation was made invalid when the out-of-arena fight was declared,” Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the Saenuri Party said in a radio interview.
DP’s representative for the hearing, Rep. Jung Cheong-rae, hit back accusing the ruling party of never having any intention to conduct the investigation.
“The Saenuri Party never had the intention to hold a parliamentary investigation. (Saenuri Party) can break the investigation if it wants to,” Jung said Thursday.
As the bipartisan discord rose to a new high, Saenuri Party deputy floor leader Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun indicated that the ruling party is willing to postpone the deadline for witness selection.
Speaking to reporters after a leadership meeting, Yoon said that the parliamentary hearing could carry on as scheduled if the witnesses were selected by Aug. 5.
By Choi He-suk
(
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
