'Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Prosecution' tabled by committee; ruling party seeks plenary vote on the 5th amid opposition walkout

[Financial News] The so-called “Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Prosecution,” aimed at establishing the truth behind allegations that prosecutors and others under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration fabricated investigations and prosecutions, was tabled at the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 4th. The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) plans to remove the clause that sparked controversy over the power to withdraw prosecutions, expand the scope of investigations and pass the bill at a plenary session on the 5th. The People Power Party strongly protested, calling it a “bill to save President Lee Jae Myung.”
The National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee convened a full meeting that day, tabled the “Bill on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor, etc., to Establish the Truth Behind Allegations of Fabricated Investigations and Prosecutions by the Prosecutors’ Office, the National Intelligence Service, the Board of Audit and Inspection, etc. under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration,” and referred it to the Subcommittee on Bill Review No. 1. People Power Party lawmakers walked out en masse shortly after the meeting began, after their request to make procedural remarks was rejected.
The special counsel bill, introduced by the DPK last April, aims to establish the truth behind allegations that prosecutors and others under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration conducted targeted investigations and fabricated prosecutions against the opposition and political opponents. Twelve cases are included in the scope of the investigation, including alleged corruption involving development projects in Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town, Ssangbangwool’s remittances to North Korea, donations to Seongnam Football Club, and allegations that Kim Yong, a former senior deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, received money and valuables.
The DPK plans to remove a clause that would allow the special counsel to take over existing cases and decide whether to maintain the prosecutions. It will also revise the special counsel’s duties from “investigating, bringing charges, maintaining prosecutions, and deciding whether to do so” to “investigating, deciding whether to bring charges, and maintaining prosecutions.” The move follows President Lee’s public call last September to remove the clause concerning the power to withdraw prosecutions.
The scope of the investigation is also set to include allegations of bribery involving former President Moon Jae-in, the shooting of a civil servant in the Yellow Sea, the forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen who had defected, the leak of classified information on Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and alleged manipulation of the economic viability assessment for Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1.
The People Power Party took issue with the fact that eight of the 12 cases under investigation by the special counsel concern President Lee. Park Hyung-soo, a People Power Party lawmaker, criticized the bill, saying, “Isn’t this a bill to save President Lee and make his crimes disappear?” and “Is the National Assembly the president’s lackey?” People Power Party members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a press conference and said they would use every means to block the bill if it were forced through.
In response, Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chair Seo Young-kyo said, “We are removing the provision on withdrawing charges against the president entirely in the subcommittee, so repeatedly calling this a prosecution-cancellation bill is a falsehood.” DPK lawmaker Kim Eui-gyeom also said, “This is not about saving President Lee; it is about correcting coercive, targeted and political investigations, including fabricated prosecutions, that took place under the Yoon administration.”
The DPK plans to pass the bill at a plenary session on the 5th, after it is approved by the bill subcommittee and the full committee that day. If passed, it will be the seventh special counsel investigation since the Lee administration took office.

[email protected] Kim Gyeong-min Reporter