Democratic Party moves to impeach prosecutors over non-indictment of first lady

The Democratic Party of Korea announced plans to submit an impeachment proposal against three prosecutors, including Lee Chang-soo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, over the decision not to indict First Lady Kim Keon Hee for her alleged involvement in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case. The proposal, set to be reported at the National Assembly plenary session next Thursday, marks the seventh prosecutorial impeachment in the 22nd National Assembly. Under the National Assembly Act, an impeachment proposal must be voted on within 72 hours, starting 24 hours after the bill is reported to the plenary session. This raises concerns over possible confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over the holding of additional plenary sessions to deal with the impeachment bill.

A Democratic Party official confirmed that the impeachment bill would target Lee Chang-soo, Cho Sang-won (deputy director), and Choi Jae-hoon (chief prosecutor of the anti-corruption division) from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. The main opposition party accuses these prosecutors of dereliction of duty and breaching their obligation to uphold impartiality and dignity as public officials by deciding not to indict the first lady.

However, some within the Democratic Party have raised concerns about the timing of the impeachment effort, given that it coincides with the first-instance court’s upcoming ruling next Monday regarding party chair Lee Jae-myung’s alleged encouragement of making false testimony in court. Critics within the party caution against pursuing prosecutorial impeachment hastily. The Democratic Party proposed impeachment bills against four prosecutors, including Kang Baek-shin, deputy prosecutor of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office Seongnam Branch. However, the bills were referred to the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee for further deliberation. In 2023, the Democratic Party passed impeachment motions against three prosecutors - Son Joon-seong of the Daegu High Prosecutors’ Office, Ahn Dong-wan of the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office, and Lee Jeong-seob of the Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office - only to see the Constitutional Court dismiss the cases against Ahn and Lee. A Democratic Party lawmaker on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee suggested further discussion to decide whether to focus solely on Lee Chang-soo’s impeachment or to proceed with bills against all three prosecutors.

The Prosecutors’ Office has yet to issue an official statement regarding the impeachment efforts. However, one official criticized the move, arguing that prosecutorial decisions cannot serve as grounds for impeachment, calling the bill “unfair.”


이승우기자 suwoong2@donga.com