여야는 국회에서 3일 열린 정치 분야 대정부질문에서는 국가정보원의 서울시 공무원 간첩 사건의 증거 조작 의혹과 기초선거 공천폐지를 놓고 공방이 벌였다.
무공천 원칙을 고수하고 있는 새정치민주연합은 지난 박근혜 대통령이 정당공천 폐지를 약속해놓고 지키지 않고 있다며 약속이행을 촉구했고, 새누리당은 다른 당 공천여부에 신경쓰지 말고 민생문제 해결에 나서라고 비판했다.
유성엽 새정치연합 의원은 이날 정치분야 질의에서 정홍원 국무총리에게 “당사자인 대통령은 최근 이 문제에 대한 언급이 없고 새누리당은 입장을 바꾸었다“고 지적했다.
유 의원은 또 ”지금이라도 원칙과 신뢰의 상징인 박 대통령은 새누리당에 정당공천제 폐지 공약을 준수하라고 요청해야 하고 만약 새누리당이 요청을 끝내 거부한다면 대통령이 새누리당을 탈당해야 한다“고 주장했다.
한편 새누리당 김도읍 의원은 간첩혐의를 받고 있는 유우성씨의 간첩여부를 밝히는 것이 일차적 문제라며 재북 화교의 상당수가 북한 보위부에 첩보를 제공하고 있다고 주장했다.
이에 대해 새정치민주연합 박범계 의원은 ”국정원 대공수사팀장 수준에서 이처럼 민주주의의 근간과 사법질서를 훼손하는 문서조작 사건을 주도했는지 의문“이라면서 ”국정원 2차장, 국정원장까지도 엄정한 수사의 필요성이 제기되고 있다“고 촉구했다.
<관련 영문 기사>
Candidate nomination, NIS evidence scandal swamp interpellation session
The parliamentary interpellation session kicked off Thursday with the ruling and opposition parties clashing over key issues in the June 4 local elections.
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy honed in on the candidate nomination system for local elections, and again urged President Park Geun-hye to follow through on the issue. Although Park had pledged to abolish the system as part of her political reform measures, the ruling party has since moved in the opposite direction, saying that abolishing candidate nominations may be unconstitutional.
“Who decided to backtrack on abolishing the nomination system?” the NPAD’s Rep. You Sung-yop said, grilling Prime Minister Chung Hong-won over the issue. You was referring to the ruling party’s decision to forgo candidate nominations in the April by-elections but to reintroduce them for the local elections.
“The president, who is a symbol of principles and trust, should request that the Saenuri Party uphold the pledge, and if the party refuses she should leave the party.”
You went on to press Chung, asking whether he would advise the president to request that the system be abolished or else leave the ruling party.
Rep. Song Ho-chang, one of NPAD co-chairman Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo’s closest associates, backed up his party’s demands by pointing out the negative aspects of the system and referring to it as “modern day slavery.”
Under the candidate nomination system, a political party’s leaders exert nearly absolute influence on the selection process.
Citing current and past examples of bribery and figures close to the president interfering in the candidate selection process, Song said that parliamentarians’ power over the nominations was the fundamental cause of all related corruption.
Along with the candidate nomination system, developments surrounding Yoo Woo-seong proved a key issue in Thursday’s session.
The NPAD pressed its demands for a thorough investigation, the scope of which would include National Intelligence Service chief Nam Jae-joon.
Rep. Park Beom-kye of the main opposition raised doubts about the results of the prosecution’s investigation revealed so far, saying that the highest level of the spy agency should be probed. Yoo is a former Seoul City official of North Korean-Chinese decent accused of spying for Pyongyang. In appealing a lower court’s acquittal of Yoo, the prosecution used forged Chinese government documents provided by the NIS.
Ruling party lawmakers, in contrast, focused on the charges faced by Yoo.
“The primary issue is determining whether Yoo is a spy, and the investigation into evidence forgery comes next,” Saenuri Party’s Rep. Kim Do-eup said.
Kim also claimed that a large number of ethnic Chinese living in North Korea operate as middlemen in transferring money into the North and gather information for Pyongyang’s authorities.
By Choi He-suk (
cheesuk@heralcorp.com)
