Lee Jae-myung Rejects Ruling Party's 'Special Prosecutor' Request... "40 Special Prosecutor Proposals Already Made Last Year" (Comprehensive)

"Special prosecutor preparation takes months... seems like stalling"
"Stalling special prosecutor investigation is a corrupt practice," Lee Jae-myung recalls his statement from last September, "That is correct"
Opposition hints at possible forceful passage of special prosecutor law... "People will wonder 'Why are they like that?'"

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending a meeting with the small and medium-sized enterprise sector held at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeouido, Seoul on the 20th, delivering a greeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun and Lee Hyun-joo] The ruling party rejected the proposal for a 'Daejang-dong special prosecutor' made by Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "It seems like they are trying to buy time by taking it to a special prosecutor."

On the morning of the 21st, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, "Last year, when we were the opposition party, our People Power Party proposed the Daejang-dong special prosecutor more than 40 times and urged negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties for the passage of the special prosecutor bill, even demanding a public debate between floor leaders."

He added, "However, the Democratic Party did not come to the negotiation table. They only repeated claims that were obviously self-serving, such as appointing the special prosecutor themselves and discussing the bill mainly based on their own proposals," and criticized, "If the Democratic Party had the will as much as the bills they pushed through with their majority seats, the special prosecutor law would have passed a hundred times over."

Floor leader Joo said, "Moreover, a special prosecutor is introduced when investigations are not properly conducted or when the investigation cannot be trusted. But when investigations were not proceeding, they avoided the special prosecutor, and now that the regime has changed and investigations are properly starting, they are demanding a special prosecutor," criticizing it as "intentional stalling and delaying the investigation."

He also referred to Lee’s statement in September last year when he was governor of Gyeonggi Province, saying, "Dragging out time with a special prosecutor investigation is a tactic of the deep-rooted corrupt forces," and pointed out, "This statement is exactly right. Since the investigation is underway, it seems they are trying to buy time by demanding a special prosecutor and taking it to a special prosecutor."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is removing his mask to hold an emergency press conference at the National Assembly on the 21st. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Floor leader Joo said, "Leader Lee claimed in the last presidential debate that President Yoon Seok-youl was the 'mastermind of Daejang-dong,'" and raised his voice, saying, "At today's press conference, he again clung to President Yoon, which is nothing but a diversion, a ghosting tactic, and an attempt to muddy the core of the Daejang-dong case, which he claimed as his greatest achievement."

He said, "Leader Lee says to go to a special prosecutor and end political strife to focus on people’s livelihood, but the best way to end political strife and focus on people’s livelihood is for the prosecution to conduct a swift, strict, and proper investigation and report the results to the public," adding, "Let us stop political strife and focus on people’s livelihood as Leader Lee said."

In a Q&A session with reporters, Floor leader Joo also expressed his stance of 'not accepting the special prosecutor.' He said, "It takes several months just to prepare for a special prosecutor, and during that time, there could be people destroying evidence and obstructing investigations," and stated, "We cannot accept a special prosecutor."

He continued, "During the last administration, when the Minister of Justice was a person who was the leader of the Democratic Party and a sitting lawmaker was appointed, those who conducted proper investigations were sent to the provinces, and pro-government prosecutors who obstructed investigations were placed in charge. When we proposed a special prosecutor, Leader Lee consistently delayed and obstructed," he said.

Regarding concerns that the Democratic Party could push through the bill with its 169 seats, he said, "Considering precedents such as unilaterally pushing through the three lease laws, the complete revision of the prosecution investigation law, and the election law, we cannot rule out that possibility," but added, "The public will surely notice why they are doing this."

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