'Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Prosecutions' Passes Committee Subcommittee... Ruling Party: "Correcting Political Investigations"; Opposition: "Saving Lee Jaemyung"

The so-called “Special Counsel Act on Fabricated Indictments” passed the first subcommittee on bill review of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee on November 4, with the Democratic Party of Korea and other parties in the ruling bloc leading the effort. The People Power Party protested, calling it a bill intended to undermine President Lee Jae-myung’s trial, while the Democratic Party said it was meant to correct targeted and political investigations under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

That afternoon, the committee’s first subcommittee on bill review approved a revised version of the “Bill on the Appointment of a Special Counsel to Investigate the Truth Behind Allegations of Manipulated Investigations and Fabricated Indictments by the Prosecutors’ Office, the National Intelligence Service, the Board of Audit and Inspection, and Others Under the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration.” The People Power Party walked out just before the vote.

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Han Sanggyun = Rep. Park Hyungsoo of the People Power Party, the opposition party's secretary on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, protests to committee chair Seo Youngkyo over the conduct of proceedings during a full committee meeting at the National Assembly on the 4th. 2026.11.4 xyz@yna.co.kr (End)

The revised bill removed a provision that had sparked controversy over whether it would effectively grant the special counsel the power to withdraw indictments. It also removed a provision allowing the special counsel to request the transfer of cases under investigation or prosecution by prosecutors, or in which prosecutors were maintaining the prosecution. The special counsel’s duties were revised from “investigation, filing of indictments, maintaining prosecutions, and deciding whether to do so” to “investigation, deciding whether to file indictments, and maintaining prosecutions.” Cases involving former President Moon Jae-in and his administration were also added to the scope of the investigation.

Earlier that morning, the ruling and opposition parties clashed at a full committee meeting over whether to put the bill on the agenda. People Power Party lawmakers requested time to speak on procedural matters, but walked out en masse after Seo Youngkyo, chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, proceeded first with the agenda item on the budget bill.

After returning to the meeting room, People Power Party lawmaker Park Hyungsoo criticized the bill, saying, “No matter how you explain it to the public, isn’t this a bill to save President Lee Jae-myung and make his crimes disappear?” He added, “If the president says to include the power to withdraw indictments, you include it; if he says to take it out, you take it out. Is the National Assembly the president’s servant?”

In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Eui-gyeom said, “This is not about saving President Lee Jae-myung. It is about correcting coercive investigations, targeted investigations, and political investigations, including fabricated indictments under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.” He added, “The fact that President Lee’s cases make up a relatively large share is a consequence of his having been the biggest victim.”

Seo also said, “The provision on withdrawing the president’s indictments is being removed entirely by the subcommittee today. Continuing to call this a bill to withdraw indictments is false.”

At a separate news conference, People Power Party members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee said, “If the bill is pushed through, we will use every means available to stop it.”

The Democratic Party plans to approve the bill at a full committee meeting later today and pass it at a plenary session of the National Assembly on November 5. The People Power Party has warned it will take a hard line, including by launching a filibuster, or unlimited debate.

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