Ruling Bloc Races to Pass Special Prosecutor Act on Fabricated Prosecutions; Opposition Weighs Filibuster, Street Protests

Democratic Party vows to push the bill through
No agreement reached in talks between the two parties

Han Byeongdo, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Jeong Jeomsik, floor leader of the People Power Party, head to the speaker's office at the National Assembly on the 5th to meet under National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik to discuss agenda items for a plenary session. Yonhap News.

Final negotiations over the "Special Prosecutor Act on Fabricated Prosecutions" are continuing, but prospects for an agreement remain dim. The ruling bloc says it has removed the controversial "authority to cancel indictments" and is moving to pass the bill. The opposition has vowed to fight the bill with all its might, including through an unlimited debate (filibuster) and street protests.

Han Byeong-do, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a party leadership meeting at the National Assembly on the morning of the 5th, "To fulfill the purpose of uncovering the truth behind the allegations of fabricated prosecutions, we removed from the revised bill provisions related to canceling indictments and the authority to request the transfer of existing cases."

The bill also expands the scope of investigations from cases related to President Lee to include several cases from the Moon Jae-in administration. Park Jumin, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said on KBS's "Jeongyeok Sisa" that day, "We decided to broaden the scope to cases in which the prosecution under Prosecutor General Yoon Suk Yeol and the prosecution under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration politically abused their powers to investigate and indict." Some also view the ruling party's move as a political calculation aimed at rallying its supporters.

Meanwhile, if the ruling and opposition parties fail to reach an agreement, the decision on whether to bring the bill before the National Assembly plenary session will rest with National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik. After holding a meeting of senior lawmakers that morning, the People Power Party visited Speaker Cho and asked him to defer placing the bill on the plenary session agenda.

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