Some Opposition Lawmakers Push Impeachment of Four Prosecutors, Will It Be Effective?

Kim Yong-min "Obligation to Restore Constitutional Order... National Assembly Must Take Action"
Claims at Least 100 Consents Needed... About 60 Signatures Asserted

Some members of the Democratic Party of Korea are pushing to propose an impeachment motion against a total of four prosecutors: three who allegedly received expensive alcohol entertainment from former Star Mobility Chairman Kim Bong-hyun, and one prosecutor accused of retaliatory prosecution against Yoo Woo-sung, a victim of the 'Seoul City Government Official Spy Fabrication Case.'

Previously, the prosecutors suspected of receiving alcohol entertainment from former Chairman Kim were either not indicted due to the amount being less than 1 million KRW per occasion or were acquitted in the first trial. In the case of the prosecutors involved in the retaliatory prosecution allegations related to the Seoul City Government Official Spy Fabrication Case, the High-ranking Officials Crime Investigation Division decided not to indict last year, citing the statute of limitations.

Kim Yong-min, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

Kim Yong-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker leading the 'prosecution impeachment motion,' said on the 23rd on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "under the Prosecutors Disciplinary Act, prosecutors can only be dismissed, but no matter how serious their misconduct, they cannot be removed from office." He added, "The only system that can remove them is impeachment."

While ordinary public officials are dismissed without exception when receiving gifts or entertainment worth around 1 million KRW, prosecutors can only be dismissed through impeachment, so the National Assembly must take action.

Kim said, "Because the prosecution is distorting the constitutional order, there is a strong demand for prosecutorial reform," and added, "As a member of the National Assembly, there is a constitutional duty to restore the constitutional order." He also noted, "Approaching this issue based on whether the impeachment motion benefits our party or not is not a desirable approach."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The ruling party criticized the Democratic Party for trying to avoid internal scandals by pressuring the prosecution. Kang Sa-bin, deputy spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement on the 22nd, "This is an attempt to evade the prosecution investigating various scandals within the Democratic Party, including the judicial risks of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and the 'money envelope allegations,' through impeachment." He pointed out, "Impeachment can only be initiated when a high-ranking public official clearly violates the Constitution and laws in the execution of their duties."

There is also criticism that pushing for the impeachment of prosecutors is inappropriate while Lee Jae-myung has declared the waiver of his immunity from arrest.

In response, Representative Kim said, "The signatures for the impeachment motion had already been collected and the process was underway, so the timing is not appropriate." He rebutted, "On the other hand, Lee Jae-myung's declaration to waive his immunity and submit to investigation is a separate issue from disciplining prosecutors who have committed wrongdoing, and the prosecutors subject to discipline have nothing to do with the investigation of Lee Jae-myung."

Meanwhile, it is known that about 60 lawmakers have signed the impeachment motion so far. For impeachment motions in the National Assembly involving high-ranking public officials, at least one-third of the total members must agree to propose it, and a majority of the total members must approve it. With 299 total members currently, at least 100 consents are required to propose the motion.

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