An extraordinary session of the National Assembly kicked off Monday with rival political parties locked in a bitter dispute over allegations that a group of key aides to President Park Geun-hye meddled in state affairs behind the scenes.
   
The extra session, which is to run through Jan. 14, 2015, was convened by the rival parties with the aim of handling various bills that failed to pass through the regular parliamentary session that ended last Tuesday.
  
Lawmakers from both sides, however, clashed over the scandal surrounding Park's aides, especially after a police officer suspected of leaking a presidential document containing the allegations killed himself on Saturday, leaving behind a suicide note suggesting pressure from the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.
   
Citing the document, the local daily Segye Times reported late last month that a former adviser to Park with no official title in the government exchanged information on state affairs and plotted to oust presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon with a group of incumbent presidential officials.
  
On Monday, the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) mounted calls for a parliamentary investigation and an independent counsel probe into the scandal.
  
"We demand a sweeping reform of state affairs as well as an overall reorganization of Cheong Wa Dae and a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle in time for the (Park administration's) third year of power, putting the administration's fate at stake," Moon Hee-sang, NPAD's interim chief, said during a party meeting.
   
Speaking during an interpellation session, Rep. Park Joo-sun of the opposition party accused the president of trying to influence the prosecution's investigation into the allegations by dismissing the leaked document as a collection of rumors circulating in the financial community.
  

"An independent counsel probe is inevitable," he said.
   
The ruling Saenuri Party, meanwhile, argued that the prosecution's investigation should first be completed.
   
The row has cast doubts over whether the rival parties will fulfill last week's bipartisan agreement to discuss pension reforms for civil servants and investigate alleged irregularities in overseas natural resource development projects carried out under past governments. (Yonhap)