(EDITORIAL from Korea JoongAng Daily on May 7)

dailies-editorials (3)

(EDITORIAL from Korea JoongAng Daily on May 7)

Public questions ruling party over special counsel bill allowing indictment withdrawals

Han Byung-do, floor leader of the Democratic Party (DP), said Wednesday that the party would decide the timing, procedures and details of its special counsel bill only after gathering public and party opinion following the local elections.

The remark amounted to a slowdown in processing the so-called special counsel act on alleged fabricated prosecutions, which the ruling party introduced late last month. The legislation has faced criticism that it was effectively drafted to benefit a specific individual. Yet the party offered no clear explanation for the delay. If the bill is justified, critics ask, why postpone it? If it requires postponement, does that not suggest underlying problems?

The ruling party has yet to answer what many view as a basic question: whether it is appropriate in a democratic system for a president to appoint a special counsel who could withdraw indictments tied to cases involving the president himself.

Many citizens are asking why Lee Jae Myung should be treated as an exception to the longstanding legal principle that no one can serve as judge in their own case.

The DP's position appears aimed at minimizing the political impact of the bill before the local elections and revisiting it afterward. Han, who previously said that victory in the local elections was the top priority for the Lee administration's success, announced the delay immediately after being re-elected as floor leader. The move likely reflected concerns that advancing the controversial bill during the campaign could help consolidate conservative voters.

The opposition People Power Party criticized the decision as "an outright deception aimed at voters."

Both the introduction of the bill and the subsequent decision to slow its progress suggest the ruling party has drifted far from public expectations. Critics argue the party has failed to provide a convincing justification for legislation that appears inconsistent with widely shared values of fairness, common sense and respect for legal order.

If fabricated prosecutions by the prosecution service were proven, many Koreans would likely support correcting such abuses. Korean voters have twice impeached presidents because they refused to tolerate arrogance or abuse of power.

Yet the ruling party has failed to explain why the president alone should bypass existing judicial procedures such as retrials and instead rely on a separate special counsel investigation and designated court panel.

Without addressing these obvious questions, the party attempted to push forward the legislation through its parliamentary majority, triggering growing public concern. If the ruling party cannot persuasively explain the legitimacy of the special counsel bill, it may still win elections in the short term, but it risks creating a serious obstacle to the long-term success of the Lee administration.

(END)