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🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

Democratic Party Divided Over Special Prosecutor Bill Timing, Indictment Withdrawal Power

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The Democratic Party is divided over when to process a special prosecutor bill targeting alleged fabricated indictments. Some lawmakers want it handled quickly, while party leadership prioritizes livelihood issues and potential impacts on upcoming elections.
  • The bill, initially proposed in April, was postponed after facing public criticism. Recent acquittals in high-profile cases have reignited calls for its passage, particularly concerning the prosecutor's power to withdraw indictments.
  • Party leaders emphasize focusing on urgent livelihood matters and avoiding negative repercussions for the potential Seoul mayoral by-election next year, with some dismissing calls for a September processing as personal opinion.

The Democratic Party faces internal conflict over a proposed special prosecutor bill aimed at investigating alleged "fabricated indictments." While some members, like Rep. Park Kyun-taek, argue for immediate processing, citing cases where prosecutors are accused of misconduct, party leadership is urging caution.

Personally, I think it's already late, and it should be processed quickly.

— Park Kyun-taekDemocratic Party lawmaker Park Kyun-taek on his personal view regarding the processing of the special prosecutor bill.

Park, a member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, stated his personal belief that the bill should be handled swiftly. He also expressed support for granting the special prosecutor the power to withdraw indictments, a key point of contention. This stance contrasts with the party's official position, which has postponed discussions on the bill until after the June 3 local elections due to public criticism.

The debate has intensified following the acquittal of former Democratic Party lawmaker Roh Woong-rae in both the first and second trials. His case has been cited as an example of alleged "political prosecution" and "fabricated investigations," fueling demands for the special prosecutor bill.

Personally, I think it's right to include the power to withdraw indictments.

— Park Kyun-taekDemocratic Party lawmaker Park Kyun-taek on the controversial provision of the special prosecutor bill.

However, party leaders, including Policy Committee Chairman Kwon Chil-seung, are prioritizing "livelihood issues" and are concerned about the bill's potential negative impact on the upcoming Seoul mayoral by-election. Kwon dismissed calls for a September processing as "purely personal opinion," stressing the need to focus on urgent national matters. Other party officials echoed this sentiment, stating that the bill's processing has not been discussed by the party leadership and that immediate issues should be addressed first.

If such a story existed, it would be purely personal opinion.

— Kwon Chil-seungDemocratic Party Policy Committee Chairman Kwon Chil-seung dismissing claims about a September processing of the special prosecutor bill.

Adding to the complexity, Justice Minister Chung Sung-wook expressed reservations about granting the special prosecutor the power to withdraw indictments, suggesting that such decisions should be made by the prosecution itself if indictments are found to be illegal.

Currently, we are prioritizing resolving livelihood issues in the September regular session.

— Kwon Chil-seungDemocratic Party Policy Committee Chairman Kwon Chil-seung on the party's current legislative priorities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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