Opposition Launches Filibuster Over 'Special Prosecutor Act on Fabricated Indictments,' Also Plans Outside-the-Assembly Protests

Special prosecutor bill expected to pass on the afternoon of Nov. 6; People Power Party launches all-out effort to block it

The Democratic Party of Korea brought the “Special Prosecutor Act on Fabricated Indictments” before the National Assembly plenary session on Nov. 5, prompting the People Power Party to respond with an unlimited debate, or filibuster. Since the ruling bloc is expected to pass a motion to end the filibuster, the People Power Party has decided to take its campaign against the bill outside the National Assembly.

The People Power Party began a filibuster that afternoon on the “Bill on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor to Investigate the Truth Behind Allegations of Fabricated Investigations and Indictments by the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration’s Prosecutors’ Office, National Intelligence Service, Board of Audit and Inspection, and Others.” The move followed the submission of a request for a filibuster by 109 lawmakers, including floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik.

Yonhap News Agency

Assemblyman Park Hyungsoo, the first speaker, said, “Democracy in the Republic of Korea died today.” He added, “The Constitution says, ‘The Republic of Korea shall be a democratic republic,’ but it has now become a state ruled by President Lee Jae-myung,” and said, “I have served in the National Assembly for the past six years, but I never thought I would have to speak against such a deplorable bill.”

In response, the ruling bloc submitted a motion to end the filibuster. Under the current National Assembly Act, a filibuster ends if at least three-fifths of all lawmakers vote in favor of the motion 24 hours after it is submitted. The ruling bloc, including the Democratic Party of Korea, is expected to end the filibuster at around 3 p.m. on Nov. 6 and move to pass the special prosecutor bill.

The People Power Party plans to launch an out-of-parliament protest campaign if the bill passes. It will hold a rally on the steps in front of the National Assembly building on the afternoon of Nov. 6, followed by an outdoor rally near Exit 1 of Gyeongbokgung Station in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of Nov. 7. On Nov. 9 and 10, it plans to hold a Supreme Council meeting at the Blue House, followed by a lawmakers’ meeting.

The party will also continue one-person protests in front of the Blue House. Choi Sujin, the People Power Party’s senior deputy floor spokesperson, told reporters that day, “Since the Cabinet is expected to approve the special prosecutor bill at its meeting on Nov. 10, we have decided to hold a lawmakers’ meeting at the site that day.” She added, “After that, we will continue our campaign depending on how the situation develops.”

The November budget session in the National Assembly is also likely to be disrupted. Asked about a boycott of parliamentary schedules, Choi said, “A boycott has not been discussed yet,” adding, “The ruling and opposition parties’ budget committee floor leaders are discussing postponing the schedule of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.”

Meanwhile, a resolution calling for the expulsion of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Taegyu passed at the National Assembly plenary session that day, with 166 votes in favor and one invalid ballot out of 167 votes cast. In September, Kim stirred controversy with remarks on JTBC’s YouTube program “Genre Only in Yeouido” suggesting that the Dec. 3 martial law declaration and the 1980 seizure of power by the new military regime did not constitute insurrection.

In a report on the review outcome by the Steering Committee, Democratic Party of Korea senior deputy floor leader Cheon Junho said, “Lawmaker Kim completely denied the insurrections led by Yoon Suk Yeol and Chun Doo-hwan.” He added, “Under the pretext of historical reassessment, he made an unconstitutional and outrageous statement denying even the Supreme Court ruling, upheld through three trials, that found Chun Doo-hwan to be the ringleader of an insurrection.”

The resolution that passed calls for Kim’s expulsion but is not legally binding. To actually expel him, the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Ethics must review the matter, and at least two-thirds of all lawmakers must vote in favor at a plenary session. However, the Special Committee on Ethics has not been formed.

The National Assembly plenary session also passed a resolution to establish a special committee on super-regional strategic industry zones for locally led growth. The People Power Party, however, did not take part in the votes on either the resolution calling for Kim’s expulsion or the resolution to establish the special committee on super-regional zones.

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