Democrats Adopt 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Law' as Party Policy... Accelerating Regular National Assembly Processing

140 Lawmakers Attend General Assembly Unanimously
Opposition Demands "Shift in National Policy, Complete Cabinet Reshuffle"
"If Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop Is Not Dismissed, Impeachment Proceedings Will Follow"

The Democratic Party of Korea adopted a special prosecutor law as the party's official stance on the 8th to investigate allegations of interference in the investigation of the Marine Corps Corporal Chae Sang-byeong case, who died during flood recovery efforts. Along with a resolution urging a complete overhaul of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's cabinet and recommending the immediate dismissal of Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, the party has launched a full-scale offensive against the ruling party, and it is expected to expedite the passage of the special prosecutor law during this year's regular National Assembly session.

On the same day, the Democratic Party held a party meeting at the National Assembly in the afternoon and unanimously adopted the "Act on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor for the Investigation of Obstruction and Concealment of the Death of a Marine Corps Member in the Line of Duty" as the party's official stance. Among the 168 Democratic Party lawmakers, 140 attended the meeting.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, along with other lawmakers, are shouting slogans at the party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In the special prosecutor bill, the Democratic Party defined the scope of the special prosecutor's investigation to include the death of Marine Corporal Chae, and related illegal acts such as concealment, cover-up, coercion, dereliction of duty, and abuse of authority within the Presidential Office, Ministry of National Defense, Marine Corps Command, and Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency, as well as any incidents recognized during the investigation process.

In his opening remarks, Floor Leader Park said, "It has been 50 days since Corporal Chae died in the line of duty. Yesterday, the Democratic Party proposed a special prosecutor law to investigate the concealment allegations and punish those responsible." He emphasized, "The behavior of the Presidential Office, Ministry of National Defense, and military prosecution has only fueled suspicions and intensified public anger among the people who have sought the truth."

He added, "Reports are emerging about replacing the Minister and Vice Minister of National Defense, the Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office, and the Defense Secretary of the Presidential Office," and described the situation as "a tail-cutting style case closure, evidence destruction, and attempts to conceal the truth." He declared, "Through the special prosecutor, we will uncover the truth of Corporal Chae's case and identify the reality and perpetrators of the investigation interference."

The special prosecutor is to be appointed by the President Yoon Seok-yeol, who will select one candidate from two shortlisted by the Democratic Party, which narrows down four candidates recommended by the Korean Bar Association. Representative Park Joo-min, who proposed the bill, explained, "The part where the Korean Bar Association recommends four candidates fundamentally blocks the opposing party from raising fairness issues." He added, "In the past, the People Power Party advocated for a special prosecutor and suggested that the Korean Bar Association recommend candidates, so it would be difficult to claim this special prosecutor law is biased."

Additionally, the Democratic Party called for a policy shift and cabinet reshuffle of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration through a resolution on the same day. The resolution stated, "During the one year and five months of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, South Korea has fallen into a total crisis," and criticized, "The incompetent and irresponsible Yoon Seok-yeol government is regressing South Korea into an economic recession trap, a swamp of security instability, and a bastion of prosecutorial authoritarianism due to total administrative chaos."

It continued, "A regime that ignores public opinion, divides the people, and if that fails, suppresses with prosecutorial power," and strongly criticized, "The total incompetence and irresponsibility of the Yoon administration's cabinet, confirmed through government questioning, are exacerbating the suffering of the people."

The Democratic Party announced that it would recommend the dismissal of Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop for responsibility in the investigation interference allegations related to Corporal Chae's case, and if he is not dismissed, proceed with impeachment procedures.

After the party meeting, Chief Floor Spokesperson Kim Han-gyu told reporters, "We have once again agreed that the President should immediately dismiss the Minister of National Defense," and explained, "We believe there are problems not only with the Defense Minister but also with several other cabinet members, but we need to focus our efforts, and to clearly emphasize that the Defense Minister's case is the most serious, we did not discuss other ministers today."

He added, "Other ministers deemed problematic will be continuously raised by individual standing committees or lawmakers, and we will gather party opinions again in the future."

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