President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a ceremony to mark Labor Day at the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on May 1. [NEWS1]
President Lee Jae Myung on Monday signaled support for a special counsel investigation into allegations of politically motivated prosecutions under his predecessor, but urged his own party to proceed cautiously.
“There is now broad public agreement on the need to uncover the truth behind illegal acts and unfounded investigations carried out under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and by politically motivated prosecutors,” Lee was quoted as saying by his senior political affairs secretary, Hong Ik-pyo, at a Blue House briefing.
Lee expressed his belief that “uncovering the truth through a special counsel probe and restoring due process is something that must be done,” but also called on the ruling Democratic Party (DP) to “engage in sufficient public consultation and deliberation” before enacting legislation.
The DP introduced a bill on Thursday to appoint a special counsel to investigate 12 cases in which the Yoon administration and prosecutors are suspected of pursuing politically motivated investigations, including several involving Lee, who served as DP leader for most of Yoon’s presidency.
The proposal has drawn particular scrutiny for provisions that would allow the special counsel to decide whether to maintain or withdraw indictments in ongoing cases.
Under the bill, the special counsel would have the authority to either proceed with or cancel indictments in the designated cases.
Lee, who was facing five trials before winning the presidency in June last year, is immune from prosecution while in office under the Constitution.
He was accused of committing breach of trust in the Daejang-dong and Wirye development projects, which took off when he was governor of Gyeonggi. He was also accused of being behind the illegal transfer of funds to North Korea, for which his vice governor, Lee Hwa-young, was convicted.
His trials could resume after his term ends in June 2030, unless the proposed special counsel cancels the indictments against him.
Acting Democratic Party floor leader Cheong Jun-ho, center, and other lawmakers submit a bill to appoint a special counsel to investigate allegations that former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration launched politically motivated criminal probes against his opponents at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 30. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Members of the opposition People Power Party (PPP) have sharply criticized the bill, arguing that it could be used to prevent Lee’s trials from resuming.
They have characterized the bill as a measure designed to “shield” the president from legal accountability. PPP floor leader Song Eon-seog has vowed to use all means at his party’s disposal to block the bill, including a filibuster or a “nationwide resistance campaign.”
“This bill is clearly intended to cancel the president’s trials under the guise of uncovering the truth,” said Song, who pledged to mount a filibuster or a “nationwide resistance campaign” if necessary.
Legal experts have also raised concerns that allowing a special counsel to withdraw indictments — particularly in cases it did not bring — would depart from standard judicial practice, in which even prosecutors are restricted from reversing course once they have filed charges against a defendant.
While prosecutors occasionally decline to appeal a ruling, canceling an indictment altogether would prevent a court from ever issuing a judgment.
Jang Young-soo, a professor of constitutional law at Korea University, previously called the DP’s bill “unprecedented” for being “explicitly designed to resolve a president’s legal risks.”
“It constitutes a clear conflict of interest and runs counter to the constitutional principle of the rule of law,” he said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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