Democratic Party pushes amendment for special prosecutor

The Democratic Party of Korea introduced a rule amendment at a plenary session of the National Assembly on Thursday, aiming to exclude the ruling party from recommending a permanent special prosecutor to investigate First Lady Kim Keon Hee.

The main opposition party announced plans to formally report impeachment proposals against Choi Jae-hae, chair of the Board of Audit and Inspection, and Lee Chang-soo, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, next Monday. If approved, Choi’s impeachment would mark the first time in South Korea’s constitutional history that the National Assembly has removed the chair of the Audit and Inspection Board.

In the plenary session, with 281 members present, the Democratic Party of Korea and its ally, the Rebuilding Korea Party, passed the Permanent Special Prosecution Rules Amendment with 179 votes in favor and 102 against. Lawmakers from the People Power Party and the Reform Party opposed the bill. The amendment reshapes the seven-member Permanent Special Prosecutor Nominating Committee, which oversees investigations involving the president and their family. Under the new rules, the ruling party’s two nominations would be transferred to non-bargaining organizations. This change would give the opposition the power to nominate any special prosecutor it chooses if a permanent special prosecutor is established to investigate First Lady Kim.

The ruling party has strongly opposed the amendment and is considering filing a constitutional complaint with the Constitutional Court. “This is an unconstitutional and illegal maneuver to strip the opposition of its investigative and prosecutorial authority,” said Chu Kyung-ho, a senior PPP lawmaker.


윤다빈 empty@donga.com