SEOUL – The main opposition Democratic Party of South Korea urged acting President Han Duck-soo to approve special counsel bills to investigate insurrection charges against President Yoon Suk Yeol and multiple allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee.
The party has set a deadline of Dec 24, warning that it will pursue impeachment proceedings against the prime minister, who is filling in for the suspended president, if he fails to approve the request.
“If acting President Han does not promulgate the special prosecutor bills by Dec 24, we will hold him accountable immediately,” said the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea Park Chan-dae in a press conference on Dec 22 at the National Assembly.
“The Dec 3 Mr Yoon insurrection incident should ultimately be investigated and indicted by a special prosecutor,” the floor leader emphasised. “It is best and most reasonable for special prosecutors to investigate, indict and resolve the situation.”
The bills mandating a “general” special prosecutor probe to investigate Mr Yoon and all suspicions related to the martial law declaration, as well as allegations involving Ms Kim, passed the opposition-led National Assembly on Dec 12.
The acting president must either promulgate or veto the bills by Jan 1, 2025.
Mr Park also called on Mr Han to address another bill that mandates a “permanent” special prosecutor probe to investigate insurrection charges against Yoon and other officials involved in the botched martial law declaration. This bill passed the Assembly on Dec 10.
The opposition parties used a two-pronged strategy to pass both the “general” and “permanent” special prosecutor probes.
Once approved, a permanent special prosecutor probe will be activated immediately under the relevant 2014 law, which would not be subject to the president’s veto. However, the president must appoint one of the candidates recommended by the committee. If the president fails to make the appointment, there is no enforcement provision, which could delay the process.
Mr Park, therefore, urged Mr Han to finalise the appointment of permanent special prosecutors by Dec 24.
“The finalisation of candidate recommendations has been delayed by 11 days. The law requires this procedure to be carried out without delay. Such a delay cannot be tolerated,” the floor leader emphasised, explaining that the passed bill was notified to Mr Han the day after its passage.
“(Whether to approve) the special prosecutor probe is a crucial measure of Mr Han’s commitment to upholding the Constitution and laws, as well as his willingness to follow the will of the people,” Mr Park stated.
Mr Park further emphasised that the investigation into the first lady should not be delayed, pointing to allegations of election meddling, leaking classified information and stock manipulation.
Mr Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader and acting leader of the ruling People Power Party, denounced the opposition-led National Assembly’s special counsel bills, claiming the motions are aimed at paralysing both state affairs and the ruling party.
“What our people want is the truth under a strict investigation, not chaos from overlapping investigations. The Democratic Party of Korea is rather encouraging competition among the investigative authorities, not the search for truth,” Mr Kweon told reporters in a separate press conference on Dec 22.
The acting People Power Party chief expressed that the opposition’s exclusive authority to nominate the prosecutors for the special counsel is unconstitutional as well.
“(Mr Han’s) decision not to exercise veto power against such a bill is unconstitutional,” Mr Kweon said.
The ruling party floor leader added that the special counsel bill to investigate Ms Kim reflects the opposition party’s “evident” intention to probe the government and ruling party lawmakers at any time. This is based on controversies surrounding self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun and the one-sided claims of Kang Hye-kyung, a former accountant for ex-lawmaker Kim Young-sun and whistleblower in the Myung-related political scandal.
In October, Mr Myung faced allegations of interfering in candidate nominations in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections through his ties with then-presidential candidate Yoon. He was suspected of receiving approximately 90 million won (S$84,000) from Kim Young-sun, a former five-term conservative lawmaker.
The prosecutors previously raided the ruling party’s headquarters as part of the election interference probe.
The confrontation escalates as the National Assembly’s impeachment investigation committee, consisting of 11 opposition lawmakers and 17 legal representatives, intensifies preparations for the first hearing in Mr Yoon’s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, set for Dec 27.
Meanwhile, Mr Yoon remains at his residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, steadfastly refusing to take any legal or political responsibility.
Despite multiple orders from the Constitutional Court, Mr Yoon has failed to submit crucial documents, including the martial law decree, an evidence list and a defence plan against his impeachment. A separate order requesting a statement on the impeachment bill and related trial documents also went unfulfilled.
Director general of the Constitutional Court’s Public Information Office Lee Jin disclosed on Dec 20 that 19 attempts to deliver these orders had failed, noting it is unusual for an impeachment suspect to not receive such documents.
On the same day, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials issued a second summons for Yoon, instructing him to appear for questioning on Dec 25 in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.
Although Mr Yoon previously claimed he would not “evade legal or political responsibility,” he has yet to comply with the summons, citing the lack of an official defence team, according to his confidant, Seok Dong-hyeon. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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