Ruling Party to Push "Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Indictments" at May 5 Plenary Session; Opposition Vows Filibusters on All Bills

Democratic Party adopts special counsel bill as official party position; seeks to remove indictment-withdrawal clause
Resolution calling for Kim Taegyu's expulsion and proposal to form a special committee on super-regional special zones also set to be placed on the agenda
Report on parliamentary investigation into Cho Heedae postponed from Nov. 5

The Democratic Party of Korea plans to push for passage of the Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Indictments at a plenary session of the National Assembly on Nov. 5. The People Power Party has said it is considering filibusters on all bills taken up that day if the bill is placed on the agenda, setting the stage for a clash between the ruling and opposition parties.

Park Seongjun, the Democratic Party’s chief spokesperson, told reporters after a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Nov. 4, “We plan to put on the plenary agenda a proposal to raise condolence funds, a resolution calling for the expulsion of Assemblyman Kim Taegyu, a proposal to form a special committee on super-regional special zones, and the Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Indictments.” He also left open the possibility of adding one or two bills referred to the plenary session after consultations between the ruling and opposition parties.

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Lee Donghae, reporter = Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 4th. 2026.11.4 eastsea@yna.co.kr (End)

The Democratic Party adopted the Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Indictments as its official party position at a lawmakers’ meeting the previous day. The bill is set to be placed on the agenda at a full meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee today, with details to be discussed by its subcommittee on bill review. Kim Seonghoe, the Democratic Party’s floor spokesperson, said there had been no significant objections from lawmakers during the process of adopting the party position.

The bill is expected to be revised to remove the special counsel’s authority related to withdrawing indictments. Park said the committee would discuss removing the indictment-withdrawal clause, as well as the size of the special counsel team and the investigation period. The authority to demand that other investigative agencies transfer cases, which was included in the original bill, is also set to be removed.

The Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Indictments would task a special counsel with investigating allegations of evidence fabrication and abuse of prosecutorial authority raised in investigations and prosecutions by prosecutors and others during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. The investigations would also cover cases related to President Lee Jae-myung, including allegations concerning development projects in Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town, and the Ssangbangwool illegal remittance to North Korea case.

The People Power Party criticized the push for the bill as an attempt to withdraw indictments in cases involving President Lee. Jeong Jeomsik, the party’s floor leader, told reporters the previous day, “If the Special Counsel Act is put on the plenary agenda, we will consider every option, including filibusters on every bill taken up that day.” The party also said it would decide at a lawmakers’ meeting how to block other contentious bills, including the Democracy Meritorious Persons Act.

The Democratic Party is also seeking plenary passage of the Democracy Meritorious Persons Act, the Act on the Maintenance and Improvement of Urban Areas and Dwelling Conditions, the Special Act on the Promotion of Urban Renewal, and the Yongsan Park Special Act. A resolution condemning North Korea’s landmine provocation is also on its list of measures to pass. However, the bills actually placed on the agenda and their order will be finalized following a decision by the National Assembly speaker and consultations between the ruling and opposition parties.

The schedule for a parliamentary investigation into Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, which had initially been scheduled to be reported to the plenary session on Nov. 5, has been delayed to allow for further consultations within the party. Kim said after a lawmakers’ meeting the previous day, “Several lawmakers shared a range of views, so we decided to hold a further consultation process within the floor leadership,” adding that the investigation would not be reported on Nov. 5.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.