Oh Se-hoon: “President Lee Must Veto Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Prosecution ... Public Judgment Will Begin”

[Financial News] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon urged President Lee Jae Myung to exercise his right to request reconsideration (veto) of the Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Prosecution, which is awaiting approval by the State Council of South Korea. He warned that President Lee would face public judgment if he did not veto the bill. On the 13th, Oh posted a message on Facebook titled “The President Must Choose,” saying, “President Lee Jae Myung, exercise your veto on the Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Prosecution, even now,” and, “This will be the last chance the people give you, Mr. President.”
The Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Prosecution is a bill aimed at investigating allegations that investigative agencies, including the Prosecution Service, manipulated investigations and prosecutions for political purposes under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. Cases related to President Lee are also included in the scope of the investigation. The bill passed the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea on the 6th under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and a proposal for its promulgation is expected to be placed before the State Council of South Korea next week.
Oh argued that the bill could be used as a means of having the charges against President Lee personally dismissed. He questioned the legitimacy of pushing the bill, saying, “They are trying to cross a river that must never be crossed, solely to have the charges against one person—the president—dismissed.”
Oh also criticized the nomination of Lee Yong-cheol as justice minister. Referring to the nominee’s past work at the same law firm as President Lee and his participation in the Seongnam mayoral transition committee, Oh argued that it was inappropriate to appoint someone close to the president to oversee legal affairs.
In particular, he warned that the Ministry of Justice could be transformed into an organization that manages the president’s personal legal problems, saying, “It is tantamount to putting an enforcer for the president’s effort to have his charges dismissed in the post of justice minister.”
Oh also argued that pushing the special counsel bill and nominating a justice minister could undermine the independence of the judicial system and the neutrality of state institutions. He said that the president and the ruling party were intervening in the judicial system and thereby diminishing the country’s credibility and competitiveness as well.
He also took issue with the fact that President Lee had not directly stated his position on the controversy. Oh said the president was remaining silent even as the conflict over the special counsel bill intensified, and called on him to state his position responsibly.
Oh also criticized reports that the prime minister might preside over next week’s State Council meeting instead of the president. “After watching the DPK’s outrageous rampage until now, putting the prime minister out front until the very last moment is cowardly conduct,” Oh said, stressing that the president must personally take political responsibility for the bill’s passage.
Oh said, “If he refuses even that, the day will be recorded as the day an irreversible judgment by the people against the Lee Jae-myung administration begins,” adding, “Is that truly the path you intend to take? Mr. President, you must choose now.”

[email protected] Seong Cho-rong Reporter