People Power Party Legislation and Judiciary Committee Members Declare Boycott of Upcoming Meetings: “Resisting Special Counsel Bill to Withdraw Indictments”

Declares boycott starting with Legislation and Judiciary Committee budget subcommittee
"We cannot sit with the Democratic Party, which has undermined the rule of law"
"Lee Yongcheol must make clear he will not withdraw indictments"

People Power Party lawmakers on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee declared on the 9th that they would boycott the budget subcommittee meeting scheduled for that afternoon and other upcoming committee proceedings in protest of the “special counsel bill on fabricated indictments.” They also urged the president to exercise his right to request reconsideration, arguing that the bill could lead to the withdrawal of indictments in cases involving President Lee Jae-myung.

People Power Party members of the committee, including Assemblymen Park Hyungsoo, Kim Minjeon, Yoon Sanghyun and Joo Jinwoo, said at a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center that day, “We have decided not to attend the committee’s budget subcommittee meeting scheduled for today or any of its upcoming proceedings.”

They explained their reason for boycotting the meetings, saying, “Budget reviews are an important duty of the National Assembly, ensuring that taxpayers’ money is not spent wastefully,” but adding, “The rule of law in this country is being shaken to its roots.”

People Power Party members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee hold a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center on the 9th. Photo courtesy of Yonhap News.

They described the special counsel bill passed by the Democratic Party of Korea at a plenary session on the 6th as a “special counsel bill for withdrawing indictments.” They objected to the fact that the special counsel’s investigative remit includes the investigation and prosecution of cases in which President Lee had stood trial as a defendant, including the Daejang-dong case and the remittances to North Korea case. People Power Party committee members said, “Appointing a special counsel to investigate one’s own case is a clear conflict of interest.”

They continued, “Even if the special counsel does not directly withdraw the indictments, a finding that they were ‘fabricated’ could lead the Prosecution Office to withdraw them, the justice minister to issue directions, and prosecutors to ask the court to dismiss the cases.” They argued that the bill “could become a political weapon used to pressure the ongoing trials and decisions on whether to maintain the indictments.”

They also continued to criticize the qualifications of Lee Yongcheol, head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, who has been nominated for justice minister. Assemblyman Yoon argued, “It is impossible to dispel suspicions that a candidate selected because of his close personal ties to the president has been nominated to become the ‘minister in charge of withdrawing indictments.’” He added, “The candidate must clearly declare that he will not withdraw any indictments; otherwise, he should resign.”

Assemblyman Joo Jinwoo argued, “From the decision not to appeal in the Daejang-dong case, to the retrial application by Lee Hwayeong, former vice governor for peace affairs of Gyeonggi Province, and the nomination of Lee Yongcheol, these are interconnected steps toward withdrawing the indictments against President Lee.” He also called on the judiciary to reject Lee’s retrial application and request for a suspension of his sentence.

Finally, the committee members said the special counsel bill is scheduled to be submitted to a Cabinet meeting on the 10th and called on President Lee to exercise his constitutional right to request reconsideration. “This bill is not a shield to save the president; it will bring about the government’s downfall,” they said. “We will not stop resisting until democracy and the rule of law are restored.”

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