Opposition alliance`s cacophony over election meddling scandal

Opposition lawmakers and dissident groups agreed to form a joint task force to seek an independent investigation into a state intelligence organization and other government agencies` alleged intervention in last year`s presidential election.

"The public can no longer trust the prosecution when it comes to (the investigation into) the illegal election meddling," said Kim Han-gil, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), during a joint meeting of the opposition camp. He said that an independent counsel`s investigation and the establishment of a special parliamentary committee for reforming the National Intelligence Service (NIS) is "the only way to shed light on the truth and prevent the recurrence" of the incident, he said.

Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo stressed that he had proposed an independent probe because whatever conclusion the prosecution comes up with, it would likely fuel political wrangling and split. "An independent probe is a proposal not for the beginning of confrontation but for an end to it," he said.

The joint meeting plans to spread the movement of issuing declarations on the current political situation to all classes and regions and open an online "forum for democracy" to launch a signature-collecting campaign for the introduction of an investigation by an independent council.

Some observers say that although the Democratic Party and Ahn joined forces, it remains to be seen whether the alliance would be "explosive" because they are already showing differences over how they would stage their struggle against the ruling Saenuri Party.

Reportedly, the opposition party plans to boycott parliamentary proceedings and link the independent investigation issue to the handling of other bills and budget proposals.

However, Ahn told reporters after the meeting that the National Assembly should deliberate bills as scheduled and that the opposition camp should persuade the ruling party "to the best of its ability" over the independent probe issue.

The two sides are worlds apart over the proposed opposition alliance before the local elections scheduled on June 4, 2014. The party plans to form an opposition alliance, excluding the United Progressive Party, which have been branded as "North Korea followers," to garner support in next year`s local elections.

Rep. Min Byung-du, who heads the opposition party`s strategic communications operations, said in a radio talk show that there would be a consensus that the opposition camp should gather together with a "new imagination" before the local elections.

However, the plan seems to be unattractive for Ahn, who has to boast sense of his existence by forming his own forces. A day before the joint meeting, he said, "I am attending this joint meeting just this time. It is about cooperation for a certain issue, not an alliance."

The ruling Saenuri Party criticized the call for an independent probe blaming the opposition`s unwillingness to accept the result of the presidential election. Choi Kyung-hwan, the Saenuri floor leader, downplayed the meeting as a "collusion" for different goals.