As the ruling and opposition lawmakers agreed on a schedule for the special committee for the parliamentary investigation of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), they will break for a week-long summer vacation and resume their activities. This latest agreement has triggered fierce criticism from the public.

The special committee had barely limped along due to problems of excluding some lawmakers and disagreements on whether to release the NIS report, and now they plan to throw away what limited time they have for the parliamentary investigation on a summer break. On July 28, lawmakers agreed to resume the activities of the special committee and decided to start their activities with a report by the NIS on August 5.

Lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, the Saenuri administrator in the special committee told reporters after the agreement, "This is the end of a political season and only the lawmakers in the special committee are working, while all the other lawmakers are on vacation. Since the end of July is too hot, we decided to resume on August 5." Given that the parliamentary investigation is scheduled until August 15, the special committee will only have ten days remaining to do their work.

Democratic lawmaker and a member of the special committee Shin Kyoung-min appeared on TBS radio on July 29 and said, "The Saenuri administrator had proposed taking the last week of July off since we first launched the parliamentary investigation. Eventually, they dragged the situation to this point, and I find myself wondering if they are working according to some set timetable." Shin called the agreement between the ruling and opposition lawmakers, "a devil's contract."

Lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae, the Democratic administrator retorted on his Twitter account that night, "Perhaps it's the devil's cowardice to make a public-pleasing statement, as if he is the only one who has a clear grasp of the situation."

Attorney Lee Jae-hwa, vice chairman of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society's Judicial Committee criticized on Twitter, "Summer vacation comes before an investigation into the truth behind crimes threatening the foundation of our nation? Are they conducting the investigation just to pass the time? Pathetic lawmakers!"

Citizens who had demanded the truth in the intelligence service's political involvement appeared dejected. People flooded Twitter and the internet with posts including, "Is it a parliamentary investigation or a parliamentary holiday?" and "They should extend the parliamentary investigation for as long as the vacation, a week."