Jeong Cheong-rae "If the bus passes, it's late" Yoon Seok-yeol Prevention Law Full Offensive... Ruling Party Calls it 'Yoon Seok-yeol Candidacy Ban Law'

Jeong Cheong-rae "Yoon Seok-yeol Incident Must Be Prevented"
Core Content of Suspension of Execution Application Restriction Proposed as 'Yoon Seok-yeol Prevention Act'

Jeong Cheong-rae, Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] The ruling party's offensive targeting Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol continues. Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced plans to propose the so-called 'Yoon Seok-yeol Prevention Act,' which restricts applications for suspension of execution. This comes after the court decided to suspend the execution of the two-month suspension disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon.

On the 28th, Jeong stated on his Facebook post that he would propose the 'Yoon Seok-yeol Prevention Act,' which limits applications for suspension of execution injunctions. He explained, "I will be the main proposer of the 'Administrative Litigation Act Amendment' that prohibits applications for suspension of execution when such applications harm the substantive interests of the plaintiff in the lawsuit."

The core of the proposed amendment is to disallow applications for suspension of execution when such applications harm the substantive interests of the main lawsuit and may cause disadvantages to the parties involved in the administrative act.

Earlier, the 12th Administrative Division of the Seoul Administrative Court (Presiding Judge Hong Soon-wook) accepted Prosecutor General Yoon's application for suspension of execution of the disciplinary action on the evening of the 24th, as he appealed against the disciplinary action.

The court stated, "The two-month suspension disciplinary action imposed by the President on Prosecutor General Yoon shall be suspended in effect until the 30th day from the date of the judgment on the cancellation of the disciplinary action."

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is arriving at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 28th. / Photo by Yonhap News

However, Jeong argued that such cases "violate the rule of law and the principle of prohibiting premature judgment on the merits," pointing out that "premature judgment at the stage of suspension of execution application causes disadvantages to the parties involved in the administrative act, so it is necessary to prohibit suspension of execution."

He added, "What use is it to stop the bus after it has already passed?" emphasizing, "We must prevent the Yoon Seok-yeol incident."

Meanwhile, the ruling party has recently been proposing bills targeting Prosecutor General Yoon. On the 12th, Choi Kang-wook of the Open Democratic Party proposed a bill restricting current prosecutors and judges from running for public office for one year after retirement. Some have raised suspicions that this is the so-called 'Yoon Seok-yeol Candidacy Ban Act.'

On the 11th, Representative Choi, along with Kim Jin-ae and Kang Min-jung of the same party, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office and announced the proposal of partial amendments to the Prosecutors' Office Act and the Court Organization Act.

Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, is holding a press conference on November 11 at the National Assembly Communication Hall to announce the representative proposal of the partial amendment bill to the Prosecutors' Office Act and the Court Organization Act. / Photo by Yonhap News

According to the current Public Official Election Act, judges and prosecutors who are national public officials can run for election if they resign at least 90 days before the election day. However, the amendment requires resignation one year before the election to be eligible as a candidate.

Some have claimed that this bill targets Prosecutor General Yoon. According to the bill, if Yoon intends to run in the next presidential election (scheduled for March 2022), he must resign from his position as Prosecutor General before March next year. However, Yoon's term lasts until July next year. If he completes his term, he will be unable to run as a presidential candidate.

However, Representative Choi explained the reason for proposing the bill at the time, saying, "It aims to cut off prosecutorial politics and restore judicial trust by restricting prosecutors and judges who dream of becoming politicians from running for office for one year after retirement," emphasizing, "We want to use this as an opportunity to enhance the fairness and neutrality of investigations and judicial procedures."

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