People Power Party Reconsiders 'Complete Prosecution Reform Agreement'...Democrats Warn "If Agreement Broken, Revert to Original Plan"

Criticism from People Power Party Supporters
Lee Jun-seok and Leadership Take Hardline Stance
Kwon Seong-dong Apologizes Twice to the Public

Yoon Ho-jung: "The Agreement's Ink Isn't Even Dry Yet
We Will Not Tolerate Attempts to Break It"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, and Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader, are attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunju Lee and Juni Park] The People Power Party (PPP) has expressed its intention to reconsider the so-called ‘complete prosecution reform’ mediation plan agreed upon by the ruling and opposition parties. Under pressure from President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol’s camp and PPP leader Lee Jun-seok, PPP floor leader Kwon Seong-dong announced that some parts of the mediation plan would be renegotiated. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has taken a firm stance to proceed with the original plan. This has been interpreted as the effective collapse of the prosecution reform mediation plan agreed upon through Speaker Park Byeong-seok’s mediation just three days ago. Political turmoil is expected to intensify during this regime transition period.

At the Supreme Council meeting held on the 25th, Floor Leader Kwon defended the negotiations, saying they were unavoidable due to the DPK’s overwhelming number of seats, and stated, "I believe it is necessary to put our heads together and reconsider so that the public’s criticisms and intentions can be reflected." He added, "The public’s criticism regarding the exclusion of election crimes and public official crimes from the prosecution’s direct investigative authority is a very painful point."

This stance was different from initial expectations. Before the meeting, in a YTN radio interview, Floor Leader Kwon expressed his intention to persuade the Supreme Council members. However, PPP leader Lee Jun-seok took a hardline stance during the meeting, saying, "I have no choice but to ask the Democratic Party whether it is appropriate timing to push through a system that shakes the foundation of the criminal justice system like this." This shifted the overall atmosphere toward renegotiation. Lee emphasized, "Especially since there is great public concern about stripping the prosecution of investigative authority over corrupt public officials and election-related crimes, the National Assembly must handle this more cautiously."

The hardline stance of the PPP leadership was influenced by a flood of criticism from supporters over the weekend. Floor Leader Kwon had to issue two public apologies on the 24th alone. The core controversy in Speaker Park’s mediation plan was that among the six major crimes remaining under the prosecution’s jurisdiction (corruption, economy, public officials, elections, defense projects, and major disasters), only corruption and economic crimes were left, while all others were excluded from investigative authority. Since the prosecution would no longer investigate public official crimes and election crimes, criticism arose that politicians were protecting vested interests and colluding ahead of local elections.

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, and Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader, are attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

As public opinion worsened, President-elect Yoon’s camp also urged the entire political circle to deeply consider what the right answer is to uphold constitutional values and protect the lives of the people, and to unite their will regarding the mediation plan. On the same day, spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin said in a briefing, "There is no politics that can defeat the people," and added, "We believe the ruling party will not push through legislative dominance while the public is worried."

With the PPP announcing its intention to renegotiate, political turmoil became inevitable. The DPK stated that if the mediation plan is scrapped, it will pass the original bill that completely strips the prosecution of investigative authority. There is also a possibility that the scheduled plenary session this week will be changed. At the meeting, DPK Emergency Response Committee Chairperson Yoon Ho-jung warned, "Before the ink on the bipartisan agreement is even dry, the PPP is making statements denying the agreement," and said, "We will never tolerate any attempt by the PPP to break the bipartisan agreement."

There are forecasts that Leader Lee’s influence within the party will expand again. The day before, Lee was the first to raise issues by proposing a legislative public hearing on his Facebook page. This move is said to be aimed at diverting public attention from the PPP Central Ethics Committee’s recent decision to initiate disciplinary procedures against him over ‘sexual bribery allegations,’ and is also seen as aligning with the Presidential Transition Committee and Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon.

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